


Pasts Uncovered

by FlameWolf



Series: Melting the Iceberg [1]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gore, Lots of fighting later, More about relationship building, Reboot of Old Story, Sexual Content, Sixteen year old Kagome, Slow Burn, Stuff for OC won't be until sequel, Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-18 13:14:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12388800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlameWolf/pseuds/FlameWolf
Summary: A young author gets flung into the past only to find herself in the company of a certain group. Will she become a valuable asset or a hinderance?





	1. Into the Past

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own anyone or anything from Inuyasha. This is just for fun and no profit will be made from this.
> 
> Author’s Note: Decided to rewrite this from scratch and not rush things this time around. I want to build the world as well as the relationships of the people involved. Please enjoy and try to be patient while it updates.

    It was a pleasant, warm, summer day.  The birds were singing, a gentle breeze blew through the groomed grass, children’s laughter filled the air.  There was nothing about this day that would denote anything unusual would happen to anyone.  Sun shining on my black tresses, I luxuriated in the warmth of the day.  It had been far too long since I had dared go outside, most of the weather being a touch too cold for me.  So, needless to say, I wasn’t bothered by the fact that my midnight colored clothing was absorbing the pleasant rays from above.  Sighing in contentment, I tilted my head toward the blue skies and closed my jade green eyes.

    Today would be a perfect day to read a good book under a tree.  To just soak in the warm air and relax.  An activity I intended on accomplishing on this fine day.  Smiling in anticipation, I strode toward the tree; reflecting on just how long it had been since I had taken a real vacation.  I had been so wrapped up in writing, I just hadn’t wanted to take the time off.  A fact I sorely regretted now.  Wondering how many days of pleasant weather I had missed, I carefully sat under a cherry tree; looking up into its branches while my back came to a rest against its trunk.

    A light shower of pink petals rained down around me, bringing with them the sweet scent I so often enjoyed during certain times of year.  In fact, as long as I could remember, I had found the smell of them relaxing.  Taking this as a good sign, I cracked open my favorite book and began to read.  I didn’t notice when the breeze began to pick up, carrying with it a much sharper, more wild scent.  I only noticed when the pages of my novel began to flutter and a droplet of moisture landed on my open page.

    Glaring up at the sky, I was annoyed to see storm clouds gathering over my head.   _‘Now just where did those come from?’_ I pondered to myself, reluctantly closing my novel again.  I had barely gotten a paragraph in and it looked like I was going to have to leave or risk both me and the novel getting soaked.  Getting to my feet, I stuffed it under the Marilyn Manson t-shirt I was wearing and began to trudge home.  Of course, this was when the sky really decided to open up.

    It was like the Gods themselves had turned on the fire hoses, the wind lashing the rain into my face like razor blades. I shielded my face with my arm as much as possible, yet it didn't help very much at all. Squinting my eyes against the pelting water, I tried to make out where I was going. Unfortunately I couldn't make out much, just blurred shapes. The wind seemed to be trying to blow me in a specific course, the more I fought it the harder it blew at me. Finally it got so bad that I couldn't help but be helplessly blown in a certain direction. It almost felt like I was being blown along an unavoidable course of fate. It was a ridiculous thought but one I couldn't help but have.

    Feeling the earth start to crumble under my sneakers, I stopped and looked at the ground; feeling my heart drop into my stomach when I saw a ledge. It seemed that I had been blown toward a rather unstable cliff. Trying to back away from the quickly crumbling edge, I felt terror well inside me when the gusting wind prevented me from moving. In fact, it started blowing even harder; as if it was trying to push me over the edge. Finding myself moving closer and closer to the edge with no hope of stopping myself, I began to cry.  Tears of fear mixing with the rain flowing down my cheeks. I didn't want to die but I didn't have the strength to fight against the now hurricane strength winds. It almost felt like a strong pair of hands was pushing me instead.

    I was nearly vomiting from my fear, legs collapsing from under me. Still, I was being pushed ever closer to my death. Closing my eyes, I prayed to whatever God I thought would listen as I felt my legs start to go over into the abyss below. Crashing into the cliff below me was a wrathful sea. It almost seemed as if the ocean was hungry for me and the wind was going to be the one to deliver its meal. Uttering the word no over and over into the wind, the words were quickly eaten by the noise of the storm. Letting out a single scream, I was finally sent tumbling into the waiting emptiness. Closing my eyes, I awaited my demise. Feeling my bladder let loose in a hot rush, I plummeted down.

    Next thing I knew, thick clouds were clearing under me instead of angry waves.  Feeling a bit confused as well as faint, I took in the sight of trees closing in on me from below.  I had finally snapped.  I was having a hallucination just before I met my grisly demise.  Feeling myself slipping into unconsciousness, I allowed it; vaguely aware of a blur of red hopping up through the trees and heading toward me.  As my world went black, I felt my midsection hit what felt like a shoulder and I simply knew no more.

    An indeterminate amount of time passed before I started to regain consciousness, the smell of something cooking gradually drawing me back to reality.  Sitting up slowly from the sleeping bag that had been set under me, I rubbed the back of my head as I took in my surroundings.  Once the shock of being alive had worn off, I realized I was in a feudal era dwelling.  Where there should be brick or wood, there was simply clay.  Instead of a stove, there was a cooking fire and there didn’t appear to be any electricity of any kind.  How had I ended up here when I thought I was going to die?

    While I was pondering this, I became aware of footsteps approaching the hut; drawing my gaze to the bamboo door.  While I watched, a gnarled, aged hand gripped the door to swing it aside; allowing a squat, hunched, old woman to enter.  She was dressed in an ancient priestess outfit and had an eyepatch over her right eye.  And the moment I saw her a sense of familiarity shot through me.  Shaking my head to banish the odd thoughts, I closed my eyes and tried to will all of this away.  None of this could really be happening, could it?  There was no way I could be where I thought I was.

    Smiling kindly at me, she sat on her knees beside me to take my hand in hers. “Ah, I see you have awakened. That was quite a fall you had. Are you injured?” asked her kind, elderly voice. Blinking, I could only shake my head. She nodded, patting my knee before she got slowly to her feet.

“My name is Kaede, what is your name?” she asked. A hot flash shot through my body as I heard the all too familiar name. There was no way this could be real. This was all a dream, there was no way I had fallen into a television show.

    “J-jade,” stammered out of me despite my building shock and disbelief.  Any moment, I would snap out of it to find myself in the afterlife.  This was just some crazy dying delusion from too much anime!  It had to be!

    Nodding to show she understood, a vaguely worried expression came over her lined face.  “With the way you just fell out of the sky and your odd attire, I’d guess that you’re a lot like Kagome.  Tell me, are you from the future?” came a question that snapped me firmly out of my denial.  Feeling a bit sick to my stomach, I felt my head nod without my consent.  Already, questions were beginning to swarm around in my head.  Questions I could never ask any of the people I encountered here.

    “I hope you do not mind but, when Inuyasha and the others brought you to me, your clothes were soaked through.  I had to change you into one of my sister’s old kimonos,” continued the voice of the matriarch, her words piercing through the chaos once again.

    Looking down, I saw I had indeed been adorned in a rather baggy miko robe and the front had been yawning open this entire time.  Squeaking, I pulled the cover up to my neck while a flush colored my pale cheeks.  Yet, on the inside, my skin was crawling.  Just the fact I was wearing something that had once belonged to the undead golem wandering around filled me with the urge to gag.  “Er, thanks,” I managed, not wanting to seem ungrateful despite my extreme discomfort.  Simply waving off the gratitude, Kaede smiled at me; something about seeing her in the flesh greatly unsettling me.

    My eyes wandering to take in the thatched roof above me, I fought against my extreme urge to shake my head in denial.  Maybe this entire thing was some sort of dream brought on by an all nighter.  Pinching my arm, I felt my heart stutter to a stop when nothing changed whatsoever.  Pinching again and again, I could feel a frantic panic starting to well up inside me once more.  It was only when I felt an arthritis twisted hand settle over mine that I stopped, my eyes meeting Kaede’s while she carefully removed my appendage from my slightly reddened skin.  “Your old clothes will have dried by now, I will go fetch them along with Kagome. I'm sure having someone from your own time with you will be more of a comfort than I,” she whispered, giving me another kind smile before she was leaving.

    Unfortunately, this left me alone with my thoughts, vibrant eyes moving to the hand she had touched.  The wrinkles of her skin, the gnarles in her knuckles.  All of it had felt too real to be a dream.  That left only one, fantastical probability.  I had somehow fallen through the sky and into an anime.  Just the thought alone would normally think I had gone crazy but it was all I was left with at this moment.  It was only a knock on the doorframe that drew me out of my overwhelmed thoughts.  “Come in,” sighed out of me.

    The bamboo clinked as it slowly slid aside to admit Kagome, Kaede close behind her.  In her arms were the clothes I had been wearing when I had been blown over the cliff.  Just seeing them gave me an unpleasant jolt, goosebumps covering my skin while I shuddered subconsciously.  Giving the young woman beside her a knowing nod, the head of the village set my clothes beside me before leaving me alone with her protege.  “It must be a bit of a shock,” the teen blurted after a moment of silence, startling me slightly out of the numbness that had settled over me.

    Pulling my attire toward me, I nodded mechanically.  Of all the people here, the young girl would come the closest to knowing what I was going through.  Watching as I pulled out my shirt, she turned her back so I could change; a fact I was grateful for.  Being in my own clothes would do worlds to help me feel a bit better, even if I had been wearing them during the event that had led me here.  “Though, it was a shock to us as well when you came plummeting out of the sky. Inuyasha had to jump up and catch you. The impact from your landing would have killed you otherwise. What happened?” came a question I wasn’t quite prepared for but had known was coming.

    “I guess it all started when I went to my favorite spot to read...,” I began, pulling my well worn shirt of my head.

    By the time I was finished telling the story, I was fully dressed and on my feet.  Bending slightly, I gave the young miko’s shoulder a gentle tap to alert her.  Smiling up at me, she got to her feet before placing her small hands on my shoulders.  “You must be here for a reason too.  When we brought you in, Kaede could sense a sleeping power deep inside you.  You just need to be ready to awaken it,” declared her sure voice before she was reaching down to grab my right hand.

    “Until then, I want you to meet my friends,” continued her excited voice before she was leading me outside.

    The sun felt like knives hitting my eyes, making me hiss in pain while I raised a hand to shield them.  Squinting slightly, I made out blurred figures of a small group standing not too far away.  “Mama!” called out the smallest shape before it was barreling toward us.  Blinking rapidly, I had just enough time to make out the red hair of Shippo before he was colliding with his adopted mother.  A scene that would have been a lot cuter if I didn’t know the kit was likely just after sweets.

    That thought sobered me, knocking the smile off my face as I began to feel very alone.  I would never be able to tell any of them the truth of where I had come from.  I would never be able to share the knowledge I had of what was going to happen, not even if it would help them.  Sighing, I used the idea of a hidden power sleeping inside me to distract myself.  Staring down at my hands, I found that hard to believe.  As fas as I knew, there wasn’t a shred of magic inside me.  Still, Kaede was a priestess.  Perhaps she knew something I didn’t.

    Smiling at the pair in front of me, I began to move toward the familiar group with a shy wave.  It was no surprise when Miroku was the first one to step forward, his violet robes swishing around his ankles.  As soon as he got close enough, he was kneeling to take my hand in both his.  It was all I could do to keep the grimace off my face as I predicted what was coming next.  “My dear woman, I would be most honored if you would bear my child,” he purred while I braced myself.

    Sure enough, a solid clonk soon followed; a giant boomerang bouncing off the monk’s thick skull.  Watching while the Slayer dragged him away with a sour expression, a giggle made me aware of Kagome’s presence.  “That’s Sango and Miroku.  They’re always like that,” she explained while I did my best to appear like I was meeting these people for the first time.

    “By the way, this is Shippo.  He’s, well, he’s my adopted son,” she continued, gesturing to the grinning kit currently perched on her shoulder.

    “Pleasure t’meet ya… er….,” he began, faltering when he got to my name.

    “Jade, Jade Stone,” I offered, taking the smaller appendage in my own to give it a small shake.  To my shock, he was hopping onto my shoulder; sniffing my hair while his tail twitched.  It was almost like he was trying to decide if I met his criteria and I found myself standing completely still.

    After a bit, he seemed to deem me worthy of carrying him; nestling into my shoulder while a familiar nekomata came bounding up to us.  Kneeling down so I could get a better look, I saw the adorable face of Kilala looking up at me.  Offering my hand for the youkai to sniff, I was utterly charmed when she simply mewled and licked me instead.  Inwardly melting at how cute she was, I began to scratch her soft ears.  A fact that both Sango and Kagome were surprised by.  “I’ve never seen Kilala warm up to anyone like that,” the taijiya whispered, looking vaguely perplexed.

    Once the fervor was dying down, I was being led to a familiar, crimson clad figure leaning against the trunk of a tree.  Looking in the opposite direction, the pissed looking male seemed like he wasn’t paying us any mind at all.  It was only his tiny, white ears that gave him away, pointing in our direction and twitching with every noise we made.  “This is Inuyasha.  He’s half dog youkai,” Kagome explained, glaring at her companion for being so rude.  Making a dismissive noise in his throat, he allowed his amber eyes to roam over me.  He didn’t look all that impressed.

    “Yeah, yeah that’s great.  Can we get going?  We wasted most of the day waiting for her to wake up,” the ill-tempered hanyou, pointing at me with a claw tipped finger.  The teen next to me shot him daggers while I took a couple steps backward, knowing full well what was going to happen next.

    Sure enough, the inevitable ‘sit’ came from my young companion, the beads flashing around his neck just before the leader of the small group was cratered into the ground. Clapping her hands together in a dismissive motion, she turned to me with a wide grin on her face.  “When you’re feeling better, you can travel with us if you like,” came an offer that filled me with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

    “L-like Hell,” spat a strained voice from the hole, effectively popping my bubble and hurting my heart.

    During the show’s initial run, I’d had quite a crush on Inuyasha.  Over time, however, I grew to like his brother more.  Though, I would have loved to have had the brash male as a friend.  Something that was looking very unlikely.  Especially with Kagome sitting him again on my behalf.  Still, I had nothing better to do so I simply nodded; smiling weakly while the sixteen year old jumped in excitement.  “Great!  We can have Kaede awaken your powers before we go!” she announced, shifting the focus of my apprehension elsewhere.

    These so called powers were still a source of confusion and I found myself wondering if I could really control them.  Still, I had nothing to lose.  So, I allowed her to lead me around the village; the small group following close behind.  After the tour was over; there was a small meeting and it was decided, after a small argument, that we would stay while I got used to the Feudal Era.  A suggestion I was more than okay with.

    Following them to a quiet area of the forest just outside the village, I helped gather firewood for the camp while Inuyasha went off to hunt something.  While the thought of something being gutted out there turned my stomach, I wouldn’t say no to the food.  Heaven knew when I would have the opportunity to eat again.  After all, it wasn’t like I had any problem with eating meat.  It was just the slaughter method I was having a hang up with.  After all, I doubts  hanyou claw was a very painless way to die.

    Helping Kagome with the fire, I kept one ear out for Inuyasha’s return.  As soon as I heard a branch crack, I was turning to help; taking a few bits of still bleeding meat to skewer.  Placing the bits over the rising flames, I didn’t rest until enough was set up for everyone; wanting to show I could be useful.  I didn’t want to be a burden on these people when they were struggling as it was.  Still, tonight would be chilly.  I didn’t have so much as a blanket and couldn’t very well share the young miko’s sleeping bag.

    After eating, I got up to search for some pine boughs to cover myself with.  While pointy, they would keep me warm.  I only stopped when I felt a clawed hand on my shoulder.  Looking up, I saw the inscrutable, amber gaze of Inuyasha.  Ears tipping backward, he released me long enough to take off his fire rat coat and hand it to me.  Looking up at him, I smiled as I took it.  “Thanks,” I whispered, charmed when he blushed from embarrassment.

    “Dun mention it.  Come back t’camp,” grumbled his midtone before he was practically herding me back to the small group.  Giggling at the feeling of being a sheep with a border collie, I couldn’t help but wonder how the rest of this would go.  Let alone if I would ever make it home.


	2. The Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This story will be a bit of an experiment for me. I hope you enjoy what you read. Please don’t be shy to let me know? Your comments sustain me~

The next day, I woke up sore from sleeping on the ground.  Getting to my feet, I placed both hands in my lower back and arched my spine forward; cracking it.  Sleeping on the ground would take some getting used to and I dearly wished I had a tent or at least a sleeping bag.  Living with camp cooking was also going to take some getting used to.  I would have to eat what we could catch unless we came across a travelling merchant or a village that needed our help.  In all honesty, I was lucky Kagome was forcing us to stay near the village until I was acclimated.

Having had a bit of a shock when she came here herself, she could sympathize with my predicament more than anyone else.  Still, it felt a bit strange to be around someone her age when I was twenty-eight.  It felt even weirder to be reliant on her going back to the past for me.  As much as I hated to do it, I would have to ask her to pick up some supplies.  Just as soon as she let slip about the well.  Unfortunately, it didn’t look like that would happen this morning.

Yawning, the young girl waved to me enthusiastically; a groggy Shippo rubbing his eyes while he sat in her lap.  Carefully gathering the fire rat robe that had been given to me, I was dismayed to find it had been covered in all manner of gunk from contact with the ground.  Giving an apologetic glance to the watchful hanyou, I showed the damage to both Kagome and Sango.  Grimacing, the two women got to their feet to gather their own laundry.  “Its okay Jade.  We had to do some clothes anyway.  I brought some detergent from my time and we can wash it in a near-by river.  Just try to stay close,” advised the teen before we were moving off into the dimmer forest.

While thick, the trees still let a fair bit of light through; giving the entire place a slightly magical feeling.  Closing my eyes as I breathed in the fresh air, I was honestly surprised by how pure and sweet it was.  Gone were any traces of pollution or smog, a pleasant change after years of city life.  I could smell the grass, the bark of the trees, even the faint scent of flowers.  Another thing I noticed as we walked was an utter lack of noise.  No cars, no people talking on their cell phones, no ambient honking.  Just birds, the buzz of insects as the shush of the breeze rustled the branches.

It all made me realize just how much I had taken nature for granted in my life.  In the presence I had come from, forests like these were a rapidly shrinking resource.  Honestly, this experience made me a bit grateful this all had happened to me; as confusing as it was.  After the shock was wearing off, I was finding I liked it here a lot.  Not to mention meeting people that had been heroes of mine since I was sixteen.  Though, that part still felt very surreal.  I probably wouldn’t ever get over that particular feeling.

Smelling fresh water brought me back to myself in a snap, excitement filling me in an instant.  Even with how I had come here, I loved the water and I couldn’t wait to see how clean it was here.  I wasn’t disappointed.  It was sparkling clear, so clear that I could see the fish struggling to swim in the current and the rocks resting in the sand on the bottom.  I almost hated to befoul it with soap and dirt.  At least, with how fast the water was moving, it wouldn’t be mired for very long.  Rolling up the pants of my jeans, I took the laundry soap from my fellow traveller from the future before entering the water.

It was so cold, it was like knives on my skin; drawing a surprised squeal from my lips.  “Good Christ that’s  **_freezing_ ** !!” declared my voice without my say so, making me flush slightly when it echoed off the trees.

“And now I’ve probably attracted every demon within a hundred miles.  You’re really stellar at this whole thing,” I grumbled to myself, grimacing in apology at the others when they entered the narrow brook with me.

Thankfully, neither of them really seemed put out by the noise.  In fact, they appeared to be more amused than anything else.  “You remind me so much of me when I first came here.  Everything was new to me too.  Oh... but I have a way to return home whenever I feel like it,” she explained, trailing off when she realized just how trapped I really was.  Silence fell, the three of us bending to do our wash; soap foam swirling around our calves in a rainbow tinted slick.

“How... how  _ do _ you get back?” I ventured, despite knowing full well what the answer was.  It was best I still appear ignorant, for all of our sakes.

“Oh, that’s easy.  There’s a well near the village that connects to...  Hey, I wonder if you could go through too...  You’re from the same time I am, at least judging by your clothes,” the young girl responded, smiling brightly at me.

It wasn’t too much longer before we were getting out of the melted ice that was calling itself a stream.  Rolling down my jeans to protect my legs from the now biting air, I found myself hesitant to try what she had suggested.  While at the worst I would fall, I could break my ankle.  A possibly crippling injury in this era.  There were no modern doctors.  Just healers that were doing the best they could with the limited knowledge they had.  It wasn’t advisable to risk serious injury.  Maybe, for now, it would be best to allow her to go alone.

Besides, her time wasn’t really mine.  Her stores would be different as would the layout of the city.  She could always just get what I needed and I could pay her back with whatever money I scrounged up during our travel.  Though, I doubted money from this era would have much practical use for her.  At worse, it would be a beacon to any of her friends that happened to see it.  “Don’t worry, I can get the stuff if you want.  You don’t have to pay me back either,” whispered a voice to my right while a small hand landed on my shoulder.  It was like she had read my thoughts.

Looking down at her, I smiled while I shook my head.  “I appreciate the offer but I wouldn’t feel right asking you to spend all that money on me and not give you back anything for it,” I reasoned.  I was surprised when she merely giggled.

“Who said anything about spending money.  I have some extra camping stuff from my father and my mom has extra clothing that should fit you.  Don’t worry about it,” came her reassurance while she and Sango led the way back to the small camp.

As soon as we were back, we were breaking down the camp.  Handing Inuyasha his still damp robe, I got to work as well.  I had to pull my weight once we got out in the wilderness and there was no better time to start than now.  Besides, I hadn’t grown up in the heart of Tokyo.  At one point, I had lived in a small village much like Kaede’s.  The only difference was that we’d had the modern conveniences.  As a girl; my father took me camping, fishing, everything.  I still knew how to gut and bone a fish, knowledge I was certain would come in handy now.

Making sure the fire was buried and out, I helped pack up the small amount of items we had.  Inuyasha simply watched for a few moments, frown softening ever so slightly.  Shaking his silver haired head, he bent to help.  Then we were all entering the village, Shippo scampering off to talk to some of the human children that were his friends.  Chuckling, Kagome jostled her pack before casting a slightly analyzing glance at me.  Nodding, she placed her large, yellow backpack inside Kaede’s hut before grabbing my hand and heading for the exit to the village once more.  “Gonna head home for a few minutes.  Jade needs some things from my time and I think I’ll be the only one who can get them for her,” she explained before heading down a very faded, overgrown footpath.

Paying no mind to the complaints of Inuyasha that quickly faded into the background, I followed; taking in the majesty of the trees around me.  In all honesty, it hurt my heart that they would be gone in my time.  They had lived for so long, only to be plowed over by the out of control expansion of mankind.  Returning my gaze to the path ahead, I saw a rickety, vine covered well.  The only artifact of this time that would be in Kagome’s version of the future.  Besides Goshinboku of course.

As we got closer, I became aware of an energy pouring off the man-made object.  While it didn’t feel malicious, it certainly felt powerful; tingling my skin.  Walking up to the aged wood, I placed a hand on the splintered surface.  I had seen this object many times in the anime and just feeling the roughness of the unfinished wood under my palm really brought it all home.  This was all real.  I had somehow fallen into this separate dimension and I was stuck here.  Shaking my head, I stared into the seemingly endless depths of the well.

Yet, it wasn’t just black.  There was a faint, purple glow hovering where the bottom would be.  The longer I stared, the stronger the glow got.  Blinking, I backed away while Kagome hopped onto the edge of the portal to her time.  “You sure you don’t want to try it?” came a slightly cajoling tone from her, as if she knew what I had just seen.  Licking my lips, I shook my head.

“Maybe next time,” I responded watching as she slid into the pit with no fear at all.

Biting my lips against my urge to call her name, I watched her as she fell.  To my amazement, she seemed to slow; almost floating for a few seconds before disappearing.  Shuddering, I backed away until I bumped into something rather solid.  “Came t’make sure ya don’t get eaten on yer way back,” grumbled a mid-tone from above, the tone telling me who it was before I had even turned around.

“I appreciate that.  I’ll be less helpless once Kaede awakens my sleeping power.  Still...  I’ll need to learn how to use whatever it is,” I replied, turning around to follow the vermillion clad half-breed back to the small hamlet.

“Yer not useless.  You know a fair bit about camping, at least from what I’ve seen already.  Ya just don’t have a weapon to defend yerself with,” came a quick assurance, his words giving me some pause.

While I couldn’t argue them, I hadn’t expected him to say them.  The hanyou I knew was normally a bit more proud than that.  Then again, maybe Kagome was changing him for the better.  He had seemed a bit more willing to give me a chance than he would have normally been.  Still, I knew better than to think that gave me the allowance not to pull my own weight.  It was more important now than ever that I didn’t just sit on my laurels.  Supplies were few and far between, the whole party would suffer if just one member didn’t do their share.  “I just hope what’s awakened is useful,” I sighed, feeling apprehensive as we entered the small village.

“Don’t worry about it.  Even if its not, we’re gonna get ya all set up with a blade from Totosai,” came an assurance from my left, making me smile just slightly.

“That is if he’ll make a blade for me,” I mumbled under my breath.  The weaponsmith was notoriously picky about who he worked for.  There was no guarantee he wouldn’t simply just run away because he wanted to avoid making me a weapon.

“Why wouldn’t he?  Besides, shouldn’t you be more concerned with  _ who _ he is?” Inuyasha intoned, making me freeze in place.  I had completely forgotten about just how sensitive his hearing was.

“Erm, well, I... I figured he was a weapon maker and a high end one at that from the way you were speaking,” I reasoned, hoping against hope he bought it.  Thankfully, he was nodding his head in agreement.

“Makes sense.  He’s an old youkai.  He made both my sword and my brother’s.  If I ask, he’ll probably make yers too,” he pointed out as we got closer to Kaede’s hut.

Looking up at the bamboo door, I felt my apprehension spike.  There would be no going back once I went in there, not that there was going back to a normal life in the first place.  I had no clue how to get back to my own reality and I felt no real need to try too awfully hard.  The family I had was fairly uninterested in my existence.  My absence would go unnoticed by them.  I also lacked any real obligations to go back to.  At least not any that overcame the fact I was about to live out a show I had grown up with.

I wanted to be here, as strange as it was.  I wanted to see how close the show was to the real thing, let alone have the chance to actually be in the group.  Just knowing I might be able to help them gave me the courage to swing aside the strung together slats, listening as they rattled in my wake.  The first thing that greeted me was thick smoke from the campfire, stinging my eyes and filling me with the urge to cough.  Squinting, I saw Kaede beckon to me through the smog.  “Sorry bout that, this old house just doesn’t ventilate as well as it used to,” came an apology while I moved to her side.

Shaking my head as I didn’t dare to speak, I startled when her arthritis twisted hand closed over mine.  “Close your eyes child and try to relax.  Relax and allow me to awaken that which has slept inside you all these years,” she murmured while my eyes fluttered shut on her command.  Taking several, smoke filled breaths, I felt my consciousness begin to drift.  Rather than fight it, I allowed it to happen; a strange chanting becoming apparent in the background.  Keeping my breathing even, I allowed that too to fade away while warmth filled my limbs.

Slowly, that warmth evolved into a burning sensation on my skin.  Yet, it never got painful.  Instead, it felt pleasant; curling around my limbs like an eager pet before disappearing into me entirely.  Opening my eyes with a gasp, I looked down at my hands to see a faint flame surrounding them.  Rather than panic, I simply closed my fists and took a breath; watching as they slowly faded.  “You have a unique power.  Nay, in fact you have two.  One is over flame and the other is over healing,” came an announcement that brought my attention back to the elderly miko.

“Now, you cannot heal everything just yet mind you.  But you can handle small cuts.  You’ll be able to handle worse as you practice but don’t try to do too much or you might hurt yourself.  As for that flame power of yours, it may be best to ask Inuyasha to teach you how to use it,” came an advisement that had me nodding before she was finished.

“I was going to do that anyway.  Thanks for the warning,” I responded before I was carefully getting to my feet.

I was now aware of a subtle thrumming in my veins, giving me a slightly energized feeling.  Clenching my fists, I fought to keep my emotions even while I exited the hut.  Until I got my new powers under control, it was best I try to remain on an even keel as much as possible.  Thankfully, Inuyasha was just outside and he seemed to know what was going on without me telling him.  With a nod of his head for me to follow, he led the way into the forest.  Without question, I did as he had asked; following until we entered a fairly barren looking clearing.

The trees and ground had been scoured with what looked like the claws of a giant monster but I knew better.  This was the work of his Wind Scar, a powerful attack that he was still working to master entirely.  Shuddering slightly, I forced myself to ask what this place was.  After all, I wasn’t supposed to know anything about his attacks.  “I practice with my sword here.  Far from where I can hurt anyone.  This is where you’ll train too.  I’m sure you can already feel the power flowing through you, right?” came his response while he slowly withdrew Tetsusaiga.

Nodding, I held my hands in front of me; not surprised when they immediately began to heat up.  “Simply focus and send it forward at a target,” came his command.  With a slow inhale, I closed my hands into fists; willing the heat to rise until the fire within me was surrounding my hands.  Glaring at a tree, I punched forward; sending a pitifully tiny fireball pittering to the ground.  It fizzled out as soon as it appeared, making my cheeks heat from embarrassment.

“That’s okay, no one gets it their first time.  I’d be surprised if you were the singular exception.  Just try again.  Don’t allow yourself to give up,” he advised before swinging down with his sword to demonstrate his Wind Scar.

Five energy streaks spread out of the huge blade, cutting into the ground like butter and travelling quite a ways before dissipating.  Taking a deep breath, I simply forced my newfound energy into my hands once more; concentrating it into flames much more quickly this time.  With the same punching motion, I managed to shoot out a slightly larger fireball that travelled just a bit further; giving me a small amount of encouragement.  “Good!  Keep at it,” rumbled the hanyou, letting me know I was in for a very long day.  Likely, he wouldn’t let me rest until I had at least managed to hit a tree; a daunting prospect.

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hours Pass~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

“Again,” shouted the dreaded command, sweat shining on my brow while my aching arms lifted.  I could see the sky turning orange above but I didn’t stop.  I couldn’t allow myself to stop.  Not as long as I could move.

Forcing my power into my hands for what felt like the millionth time, I took some comfort in the fact that the fire around my hands was instantaneous now.  Forcing the cobwebs around my weary mind away, I put everything I could into this shot.  Releasing a cry I watched as a flaming sphere sped toward a trees, hitting the bark with a hiss and dissipating.  I had enough time to see I had left scorch marks before I was collapsing into a brief faint.

Only a few moments later, I was awoken by a splash of cold water in my face; splutters leaving me while I sat up.  “Maybe we went a bit overboard...,” murmured a raspy mid-tone from above me before callused hands were helping me to my feet.

“Still, you did really good for today.  Few more days of this and you should at least be able to shoot a fireball.  Next, we can work on other attacks,” he continued as he helped me stagger to the village.

To say everything hurt would be a gross understatement.  I felt like I had been run over by a team of trucks.  I couldn’t help but be grateful we were being allowed to use Kaede’s hut tonight.  I looked forward to the thin futon I would be given.  While it didn’t have much cushion, it was better than the bare floor itself.  I only had a week left in this veritable paradise.  Then we were hitting the road to continue the shard hunt as well as find Totosai.  Just thinking about it filled me with both dread as well as anticipation.  I was so lost in thought, I was completely surprised to see Kagome had returned.

With a wide grin, she was handing me a lime green backpack with a black sleeping roll strapped to the top.  Flipping the lid open, I took in all the clothes as well as other supplies she had thoughtfully packed.  There was even a first aid supplies as well as some items for when my monthly inevitably hit.  I had to bless her foresight.  Still, I wondered just how well Inuyasha would handle such an event.  He was half canine and, while he was used to Kagome, I was an entirely different ballgame.  Still, at least I would be prepared.


	3. A Week in Hell (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Inuyasha bumps up poor Jade’s training so she’s ready to do battle when they leave.

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

Sleep, one of those times of day that I cherished the most; especially after a hard day of work.  It was where I could dream, live out my harmless fantasies in safe comfort.  It felt good to sleep too, like floating on the softest cloud.  So, to have such a sacred activity interrupted would be the height of sacrilege.  Unfortunately, it seemed no one had bothered to inform Inuyasha of this fact.  Without so much as a warning, I was startled awake by a loud bellow in my ear.  Shooting into a sitting position, I reacted rather instinctually.

Without even opening my eyes to see who it was, I was shooting a couple fireballs; the smell of burning fabric combined with a male shout telling me I had been successful.  Finally opening my jade colored eyes, I was just in time to see Kaede pouring water that had no doubt been meant for tea over Inuyasha.  This put out the flames that had been slowly overtaking his fire rat robe.  “Geez, you gotta watch it with that power of yours,” growled out of the soaked half-demon, irritated, amber colored eyes glowering at me.

“Hey, it’s not  _ my _ fault you decided to scare the shit out of me in order to wake me up.  Shooting fire at you like that was a purely instinctual reaction,” I reasoned, giving him the most unimpressed look I could muster.

“She does have a point ‘Yasha.  You’ve done this to me  _ how _ many times now?  You’d think you’d have learned its not a good idea by now,” Kagome reasoned, placing a staying hand on his upper arm when he looked ready to protest.

“Yeah, well...  She really needs to learn to control that.  What if I had been Shippo or Kaede?’ he pointed out, making a fairly good argument.

Sighing, I nodded while I got to my feet and stretched.  Bowing my back forward to crack it, I was treated to a series of pops that made me wince.  “Can’t really argue that point.  Shall we make our way to the usual spot so you can teach me said control?” I responded, quirking my eyebrow in a sassy manner at the fuming male.  Growling while his ears flattened, the irritated half youkai stormed out of the hut; the bamboo door rattling loudly in his wake.  Sticking my tongue out, I sighed before following him.

Given what he had put me through yesterday, I could only imagine what he had in store for me today.  Still, I couldn’t really blame him for not really knowing how easy it was to tire a human out.  He was likely more used to training by himself.  I was probably the first person that had come to him for training.  If I knew Inuyasha as well as I thought I did, he was flattered but he didn’t want to show it.  Pushing open the sheet of dried bamboo, I gave my waiting teacher a slight smile.

Huffing, he rolled his honey colored eyes before walking off toward the forest.  Unimpressed by his grouchiness but not all that shocked, I rolled my own eyes before falling in step.  Determined not to allow the journey to pass in silence this time, I decided to try to make conversation with my surly companion.  “Thanks for all of this.  Might as well put our down time to good use,” I murmured. 

“Feh,” came out of him, effectively cutting off our talk before it had a chance to even begin.  Still, I wasn’t going to give up  _ that _ easily.

“How long did it take you to learn how to use your sword?” I tried.

Turning his head slightly to give me a suspicious glance out of the corner of his eye before seeming to come to the conclusion I wasn’t a threat.  “I’d say a few weeks to master the Wind Scar alone.  The other techniques came over time as I grew more powerful,” murmured his confession while we kept moving toward the clearing we had used the other day.

“Think I’ll be the same?” I continued, finding the conversation fascinating.  Mostly due to the fact I was talking to one of my teenage heroes.  On the inside, I was squealing with utter joy.

“I don’t see why not.  You show a lot of promise already.  Not a lot of people can hit something on their first day.  Even Kagome is still learning to control her reiki,” came a unexpectedly comforting response.

Blinking, I could only stare at his broad back before smiling just slightly.  “Thanks Inuyasha,” I replied, really meaning it as we reached the clearing.  Blushing more, my gruff companion withdrew his beaten up katana.

“Whatever.  Just pay attention,” growled out of him while a wild aura began to swirl around his transforming weapon.

“Firstly, we need to teach you some control.  You can’t allow your powers and emotions to become intertwined like this morning.  I’ve had to learn first hand how painful lacking that control can be,” murmured his raspy mid-tone, referencing all the times he’d turned into a raging monster after losing his grip on Tetsusaiga.  Still, I wasn’t exactly supposed to know that.

Giving him the best confused look I could muster, I nodded to show I at least understood what his was telling me.  “The best tool I have is daily meditation.  Take some time to commune with your powers and really learn them.  Feel their energy and concentrate from unwinding them from your feelings,” the seasoned fighter advised, placing his large blade on the grass in front of him.  Sitting down with his legs crossed under him, he motioned for me to do the same.  While not expecting this turn of events, I wasn’t going to complain about the lack of physical exertion.  Not after how hard he had ridden me yesterday.

Taking the same position, I closed my eyes before allowing my tense muscles to relax.  Despite what my half youkai friend seemed to think, I knew what meditation was.  I had practiced it since I was a young child.  It was something that had helped me get through a lot of hardship in my life.  So, I had no doubt communing with my powers wouldn’t be all that hard for me.  Taking in a slow, deep breath, I allowed the world around me to slip into the background.  Gradually, my consciousness sank into my body; a state that would allow for the deepest of self discoveries.

For endless moments, it felt like I was just floating; cradled by my own subconscious.  Suddenly, I could feel something warm in the very back of the void; slowly heading toward me.  As it got closer, the energy became familiar almost friendly.  Smiling, I turned toward it and opened my arms, welcoming the energy.  In an instant, it wrapped around me; a sensation of flames licking my skin.  Instead of any pain, however, it felt more like a soft, warm blanket surrounding me.  “Hello.  I know we haven’t known eachother for very long but I’m glad to have met you.  Think we can work together?” I whispered while orange and red began to bleed into the energy.

Soon, it was enveloping me; tainting my vision the strange mix of colors.  “If this is going to work, I can’t hurt the people I care about.  That means no using you on instinct.  Are you okay with that?” I asked.  I was answered by the fire-like energy entering my body and simply disappearing.  Taking that as a positive, I allowed myself to begin to rise back to consciousness.  Stretching while my eyes fluttered open, I felt more rested and at peace with myself than I had in months.  Truly, it had been far too long.

“You seem like you’ve done that before,” grumbled a half irritated mid-tone to my right.

“Once or twice,” I admitted with a shameful smile.  Huffing slightly, my red clad companion offered me a clawed hand; waiting until I had placed my own in his palm before pulling me to my feet.

“You coulda told me that before.  Woulda saved me a lot of worry.  How’d it go anyway?” grumbled out of the hanyou, the slight smile on his face telling me he didn’t mean any harm.

“You never asked.  Seems me and my new powers came to an agreement.  We’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning to see if it had any effect,” I responded, preparing myself for what was likely to come next.

“Next, we’re going to work on your aim as well as the quantity of your attacks.  Today, I want you to hit five trees before we call it a day.  We will spend the night here if we have to,” came a declaration that made my bones begin to ache pre-emptively.  It would be a very long day.

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

It had been three in the morning when I had finally accomplished my appointed task.  We had been gone so long that Kagome had come looking for us, twice.  Even Sango had come to see if we were alright, scolding Inuyasha because she thought he was working me too hard.  While I agreed with her, I defended his teaching methods.  It was nothing I couldn’t handle, as exhausting as it was.  Besides, I knew how important it was that I master my fire powers as quickly as possible.  Last thing I wanted was to start some inferno in this pristine world.

Still, I passed out as soon as the fifth shot hit the bark of the final tree.  I didn’t wake up until some time the next day.  Even Inuyasha’s vigorous efforts did nothing, just showing how worn out I was.  When I  _ did _ finally open my eyes, it was around noon and my half-breed companion was on the verge of going back to the village to fetch Kaede.  “Geez, you okay?  I did everything to get ya up short of dousing you with water from the stream,” growled out of him, his ears pressing against his head while his brow furrowed.

“Yeah...  Yesterday just took it out of me.  Everything is fucking sore,” came a complaint before I could stop it, faint dread welling up inside me.  The last thing I wanted was to make myself seem like I was some entitled brat.

“Jade, you should have told me.  We could have stopped before you had driven yourself to utter exhaustion.  You’ll only set yourself back if you keep doing that,” came an admonishment I honestly wasn’t expecting.

“Sounds like you had to find that out the hard way.  I’ll take your advice to heart.  I just... I didn’t want you to get frustrated with me if I asked to stop for the night,” sighed a confession before I could stop myself.  A sigh came from my companion while he rubbed the back of his head almost shamefully.

“Didn’t mean t’make ya feel that way...  You don’t need to be afraid of me...,” he murmured, his triangular ears twitching slightly.

Just hearing that both made me feel a bit guilty as well as slightly surprised.  I had expected him to be a bit harder on me.  Then again, I had no idea how long he had been travelling with the others.  It could be that he had learned to be considerate over time.  That humans, unlike youkai or hanyou, actually needed some time to rest.  “Still, that doesn’t mean you get to slack today.  We’re going to work on the size of your attacks as well as making them do a bit more damage.  You’re barely singeing the bark of the bark of the trees.  An enemy won’t be deterred by that,” he pointed out, going back to business as usual.

Chuckling, I shook my head before getting into the best stance to fire my attacks.  Focusing on the warmth flowing through my veins, I forced it into my hands; finding it much easier than I had before the meditation.  Concentrating on swelling the forming fireball on my clenched fist, I shot it at a tree as soon as I felt it was ready.  Unfortunately, it still dissipated as soon as it hit.  The best it would do was startle an assailant.  “Don’t even say it,” growled out of me before Inuyasha could even start.

Raising a brow, he gestured for me to continue; lips twitching in an effort to contain his humor.  Sticking my tongue out at him and crinkling my nose, I balled up my fists to try again.  Picturing a thermometer on a heater, I forced the needle to go all the way to the end of the red.  Steam was even beginning to come from the metal seam around the device.  Taking a deep breath, I shot out a rather sizable ball.  While it broke up once it hit the tree, it did leave a few scorch marks.  I would have to do better than that, however.  My end goal was to actually make the tree catch on fire.  Only then would I be satisfied.

Unfortunately, hours passed without much progress.  There were several marked trees now but I just couldn’t get the fire to go past a slight burn.  It was more than a little bit frustrating.  The worst part was, I was fresh out of ideas for what to do about it.  I had tried every visualization I could, implying there was likely something subconscious that was stopping me.  Feeling a clawed hand on my right shoulder, I looked up at the leader of our small group with shame burning in my gut.  “You at least left a scorch mark.  Let’s go back to the village and get something to eat,” he murmured before leading me through the dense forest.

I could only follow, wondering what it was that was keeping me from my full potential.  Was it possible that some part of me was scared of what I could be capable of?  If that was the case, it would call for some more meditation as well as soul searching.  It was only a waft of a delicious scent that knocked me out of my musings.  Lifting my nose slightly, I breathed deeply; drooling while my stomach began to gurgle.  Chuckling, Inuyasha sniffed the air himself; letting out a content noise.  “Rabbit stew tonight.  Sango must have gone hunting either last night or this morning,” came information that made my appetite almost entirely disappear.

While I didn’t have a problem eating meat, I  _ did _ have a problem with devouring something as cute as a bunny.  Still, I hadn’t eaten since yesterday and the food smelled delicious.  It wasn’t too long before I was tossing such trivial qualms away.  Besides, I couldn’t really afford to be too picky.  It wasn’t like there were Wal-marts here or anything.  If I didn’t eat what was given to me, I would likely go hungry.  I couldn’t realistically do that and hope to stay healthy.  So, I practically led the way back; following my nose the entirety of the short journey.  A fact my companion was vaguely impressed by.  “You have a pretty good sense of smell for a human,” he remarked, making me blush slightly just as we crossed into the small hamlet.

As we reached the bamboo door, Kagome was swinging it open before we could.  Brown eye met amber before moving to jade, confusion written clearly in their dark depths.  Then relief was rapidly replacing that, the teen rushing forward to tug us both into a tight hug.  “I’m glad you’re both back.  I was so worried when you didn’t return last night,” whispered her slightly distraught voice before she was pulling away to practically yank us into the hut.

“I hope ‘Yasha wasn’t too hard on you.  He can get a bit overzealous at times.  Knowing him, he didn’t even think to make sure you were fed,” grumbled out of her while she ushered me towards a steaming cauldron over the cooking fire.

Taking a seat, I took the bowl of stew that was handed to me by Kaede.  Looking into the wooden container, I felt my stomach cramp with hunger.  The broth was thick and white, native vegetables floating in it like tiny islands.  Mixed amongst them were several, dark red hunks of meat that was probably the rabbit.  Thankfully, my extreme hunger had caused my hesitations to simply melt away.  Taking the carved spoon I was handed, I dug in with a ferocity that startled the others.  Normally, it was only Inuyasha that devoured his food in such a manner.  Still, I was beyond caring at this point.  I would care after my hunger had been appeased a little.

It was only after I had three bowls that I was satisfied, a fact that surprised even me.  While I had a healthy appetite, it normally wasn’t  _ this _ large.  All the training yesterday and today must have worked up quite a hunger.  It probably didn’t help that I hadn’t really eaten all that much.  I was so concentrated that I hadn’t felt the normal drive to eat.  Setting aside my empty bowl, I smiled up at the stunned group that was staring at me.  “Didn’t you eat at all?” Kagome whispered, shooting her crush a stink eye that made him hunch like a scolded puppy.

“No but that was my own fault,” I explained before she could utter the dreaded three letter word.

“I was so obsessed with getting better that I stopped paying attention to my own welfare,” I continued, feeling a bit ridiculous for taking things that far.

“Still, Inuyasha should have at least forced you to stop for meals,” Sango chimed in, causing the hanyou to twitch while guilt colored his tanned features.

“I think it was both our faults, not just his.  I think I’m the first person who has ever come to him for any kind of training.  He’s bound to make mistakes,” I pointed out, feeling a need to stand up for the half-demon.  After all, I shared just as much blame as he did.

Thankfully, that argument seemed to be enough to take the heat off my poor instructor.  “I guess that’s true...  You both have to be more careful from now on though.  If you get sick or hurt, help is a very long way away,” Kagome pointed out, looking more worried than angry.

“I know...  I learned a lot about the feudal era...  My only hope would be the well and my ability to go through it, which isn’t a guarantee,” I sighed, looking to one side while anxiety spiked inside of me.

That’s when it hit me like a speeding train.  The reason why I couldn’t get my attacks to be more damaging was I was afraid I would hurt myself.  Thanking the confused miko profusely, I ran back outside; heading toward the well.  Of course, Inuyasha was close on my heels; Kagome not too far behind him.  Ignoring them both, I sat in a comfortable position in the clearing; closing my eyes carefully.  Relaxing as much as I could, I entered into a meditative state.  As soon as I felt the familiar, floating feeling, I was reaching out with the feelers of my mind for my subconscious.

As soon as I connected, I was flooded with images of villages on fire, raging wildfires, people screaming in agony while their skin melted off.  Pushing up a mental roadblock to halt the flow of disturbing imagery, I sent out a wave of soothing energy to calm the panic.  Communication would be impossible unless this was resolved.  Thankfully, my subconscious was easy to calm.  “While that can happen, there is no guarantee that it will.  That’s why I’m training, so I can control that.  Yet, I need to learn my full potential before I can control it,” I whispered.  Relief rippled through me, a sense of peace filling me as I rose back up to consciousness.


	4. A Week in Hell (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Jade’s training continues, allowing student and teacher to learn more about eachother as well as build a bond.

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

Having collapse on the ragged futon Kaede was allowing me to use, I wasn’t too happy about being woken up what felt like no more than ten minutes later.  Opening one bloodshot eye, I glared at the hanyou hunched over me as he continued to shake my shoulder.  Unperturbed by my ire, my trainer gave me a fang filled grin before he was pulling me to my feet.  “What time is it,” hissed out a low growl that sounded like it had come from a youkai.  Yet, the vibration of my own vocal cords told me otherwise.  Looking horrified, Inuyasha released me immediately; running out of the hut like his ass had been lit on fire.

Blinking, I looked over to Kagome; not all that surprised to see she had a shameful expression.  Shuffling her loafer clad feet, the highschooler stared down at the floorboards like they were the most interesting thing in the world.  “He’s had to learn the hard way that particular tone of voice means he’s in for the ‘sitting’ of his life.  You’re, uh, not the only one he’s woken up too early,” whispered a shy confession, filling me with the very dangerous urge to giggle.  If I dared laugh now, she would likely never forgive me.

“Mmm, guessing you were one of them,” I teased gently, grinning when she went red from her head to her toes.

Shaking my head, I yawned while ruffling my own ebony locks.  Already, I could feel knots forming as well as a rather distressing layer of grease.  It hadn’t been too long since the last one but I already wanted another bath, not boding well for the journey ahead.  I wouldn’t always have water available and would likely have to go a whole week without an opportunity to bathe.  Still, that knowledge made my skin crawl.  I like being clean as well as hygienic and, unlike Kagome, I would have no real way of doing so reliably.  I couldn’t just go to the future.  Unless I got desperate enough the try the well, which was unlikely to happen any time soon.

While I wanted to see what this realm’s version of my time was like, I really wasn’t willing to risk injury to do so.  If there was a ladder I could use, it would be one thing.  But it seemed like I would have to just fling myself in to even have a hope of the pathway working.  Shuddering, I walked outside in an effort to distract myself from my arguably petty worries.  Soon, being clean wouldn’t be my biggest concern.  Soon, having enough food and making sure I was pulling my weight would be the only thing I could afford to focus on.  I had to be ready.  I  _ had _ to get better at using my powers.

Looking over at Inuyasha, I nodded to show I was ready for today’s lesson.  Coming out of the cowering posture he had assumed, he simply began to lead the way to the forest; acting as if nothing had happened at all.  Falling into step behind him, I clenched my hands into tight fists while I mentally prepared myself to use the full extent of my ability.  Even if that meant possibly starting a fire.  By the time we reached the clearing, I felt more determination than I did nervousness.  I could do this, I  _ had _ to do this!

Getting into the best stance I could, I closed my eyes while flames surrounded my closed fists.  Bringing them up, I opened my burning eyes to glare at the innocent trees before me.  Ever so slowly, they morphed into horrifying demons.  Demons that not only wanted to hurt me but wanted to kill my newfound friends.  With a loud warcry, I punched the air; sending out a stream of fireballs.  I followed this up with a few slashing motions, sending out long bursts to get what the balls could not.

All at once, the attacks hit; starting a small blaze in no time.  Thankfully, Inuyasha was ready; slashing the air with his giant sword to blow out the foliage like birthday candles.  “That was awesome!  Much better than yesterday!  I think you’re ready to move on to moving targets,” he declared, honey colored eyes glittering with his excitement.  Unfortunately, I could only feel dread settle in my stomach.  While his fire rat kimono would protect him, that didn’t help my reluctance to attack him.  He was a dear friend, not some beast out for the blood of a human.

Yet, I had no choice.  Not only would he not have listened to any of my protests but he had a good point.  The best way to progress would be to use a living target and the safest way was to use someone that wasn’t an enemy.  Not only that but he was the least likely to suffer any damage from my attacks.  So, when he got into an offensive stance, I followed suit.  Of course, this led to him making several corrections to my form.  “Hold your arms more like this,” he advised, moving my limbs the way he wanted them.

“Also spread your legs more, be ready for anything,” he continued, making more adjustments.  By the time he was satisfied, it was just past noon.

Nodding, he went back to his earlier position; holding out Tetsusaiga in front of him.  “I’m gonna take it a bit easy on ya til ya get used to things,” he assured, watching while my flames ignited around my hands.  Raising my brow, I began with a string of fire shots; not too surprised when they fell far too short of him.  Just like before, my powers could sense my reluctance.

“What was  _ that _ ?!  Ya gotta do better than that!” snarled an admonishment I also expected, making me wince.

“Sorry...  Its just... you’re my friend,” sighed my weak protest, earning me a low growl of frustration.

“That ain’t gonna fly and you know it.  You gotta just attack me.  I’ll be fine!  See this haori?  Its made from the fur of a demon known as a fire rat.  Its completely fireproof.  I doubt your puny flames will hurt it,” he explained, placing his hands on his hips impatiently.

Biting back the fact that I already knew that, I simply nodded to show I understood before closing my eyes to prepare for the next attempt.   _ ‘You’re not gonna hurt him and you have to learn how to actually fight.  You won’t progress any further until you can do this’ _ I hissed at myself in my head, breathing in before trying another volley of fire shots.  While easily deflected, they at least felt like there was intention to harm.  “Better but still not good enough.  Again,” came a demand that told me we would be at this until well into the night.  The worst part was, I wasn’t wrong.

Hours passed, my muscles twitching from exhaustion as the hanyou finally allowed me to take a break for the day.  Slumping to the leaf covered grass, I took in the flame scarred trunks of the forest surrounding us.  Matter of fact, there were scorch marks everywhere; telling the tale of how hard we’ve been training.  Breathing out a sigh of relief, I allowed my body to flop backwards into the singed grass behind me.  “Fuck,” groaned out of me, earning a tired chuckled from my half-breed trainer.

“Tell me about it.  You were starting to give me a run for my money near the end there.  Let’s get back to the village and have some grub.  Tomorrow, we can work on your form,” he announced, his words making my bones ache.

“Goody...,” moaned my sarcasm laden voice as I just laid there and stared up at the stars above.  No matter how often I saw them, I couldn’t get over just how much I  _ could _ see.  It was like looking into a telescope, giving me the feeling of seeing beyond our own world.  A feeling that struck close to home, given my situation.

Closing my jade colored eyes, I felt my muscles slowly relax into rubber; making it nearly impossible for me to get back up again.  So, when Inuyasha called for me to follow him, all I could do was laugh hoarsely.  “Sorry but my body’s given up for the day,” I informed, not even able to turn my head to watch him.  So, when he bent to pick me up, I was more than a little bit surprised.

“I’ll help ya.  You’ll need to eat if you want to keep up your strength,” rumbled his explanation before we were moving back toward the village at inhuman speeds.

Honestly grateful for his help, I did my best to stay awake long enough to get some food into me.  I couldn’t afford to fall asleep without supper, not after how much energy I expended.  Still, it was a close thing, my eyelids feeling like they were coated with cement by the time we reached the hut.  Barely able to remain conscious, I managed to eat two bowls of stew before simply curling up by the cooking fire and going to sleep.

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

Bright sunlight hit my close eyelids like a punch, drawing a hiss of pain as I burrowing into the soft bedding I was lying on.  Unfortunately, the realization I wasn’t on the floor was enough to snap me awake, my heart racing.  Sitting up with gasp, I looked down to see the futon Kaede was lending me under my body.  Turning my head to the left, I locked eyes with a certain, crimson clad half-breed.  “If ya had slept on the floor, you woulda woken up sore and not of any use to anyone,” came a curt but slightly embarrassed explanation.

Chuckling, the young miko to his right gave him a gentle punch in his bicep; brown eyes sparkling with affection.  Just seeing it made my inner fangirl squeal with glee.  While I had a crush on Inuyasha from my teenage days, I was also a massive Inu/Kag shipper.  In my day, I had written many fanfics about the pair before I had changed my focus to pursuing my lifelong dream being a real author.  Honestly, it felt more than a little surreal to be actually living with them now.  “He doesn’t mean to sound so callous.  Inuyasha may try to act tough but, on the inside, he’s a big old softie,” came Kagome’s explanation, earning her a glower with no real malice behind it.

Snorting, the irritable half dog tipped his pointed ears backward before motioning at the steaming cauldron in the middle of the room.  “Just have yer breakfast so we can get going.  We have a lot to cover and not a lot of time to cover it.  I won’t be able to give you many lessons on the road so I want you to be as prepared as possible,” growled out of him, his golden eyes holding more warmth than his voice and betraying his real feelings.  So, with a smirk, I gave him a sarcastic salute before moving to get some breakfast.

While it was leftovers, it was still tasty and I ate with gusto; knowing better than to complain about what I was given.  When I was full, I handed my dishes to Kaede before getting to my feet to head outside with Inuyasha and Kagome.  To my surprise; Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kilala were waiting out there, friendly smiles on their faces.  “Good!  Glad you guys decided to come!” came a chirp from my right, drawing my gaze to the grinning, reincarnated miko.  Feeling uneasy, I shot a confused glance toward Inuyasha; not feeling much more comfortable when he looked just as perplexed.

“What are you up to?” rumbled his confused mid-tone, brow furrowing while his clawed hands buried themselves in his voluminous sleeves.

“Well, I watched some of the training yesterday and figured Jade could use our moral support.  I mean, its not always one on one and she has to get used to fighting around us at some point, right?” the sixteen year old pointed out, not seeming the least bit deterred by his annoyance.

Widening my eyes, I began to protest when I heard an aggravated sigh from Inuyasha.  “While I don’t thinks she’s ready for that, you have a point.  Besides, Kilala can help her learn how to adapt to battle situations,” he conceded, making my jaw drop as I looked from one person to the other.  Then, knowing I had lost, I simply slumped while giving a defeated nod.

“Fine.  I just won’t be held responsible if I accidentally hurt you.  I’m not sure if I have the control over my powers that I need to,” I advised, not surprised when they weren’t at all put off by this information.

Soon, we were all heading to the clearing; my heart and my mind going a mile a minute.  All sorts of what ifs whirled around my consciousness, filling me with even more apprehension than I had felt yesterday.  The only thing that kept me from speaking up was the fact that Kagome had a point.  I would face all sorts of scenarios once out of the village.  I had to be prepared for anything that might happen.  Besides, this would force me to hone my control over my powers.  After all, last thing I wanted was to accidentally set one of my newfound friends on fire.

Reaching the now scorched and scarred meadow we had been using, I closed my eyes to gather myself.   _ ‘Alright, I know you can hear me.  We both have to do much better than we have been.  I have to unlock my full potential and you know that.  So, how about you let  _ **_me_ ** _ decide what’s too dangerous and what isn’t.  After all, I need to learn control,’ _ I reasoned with the aura that dwelled inside me.  As soon as I was finished speaking, my entire body was flooded with warmth; my eyes popping open with a gasp.  Milky green met amber before the silver haired mutt was giving a nod.

Then, without a word of warning to the others, he was leaping into the sky; signalling the start of our battle.  Allowing adrenaline to dump into my system, I got into the best stance I could before sending several volleys of various fire attacks toward him.  To my surprise, they flew true; scorching the surface of his sword when they hit.  Even Inuyasha seemed taken off guard, instinctively sending a Wind Scar toward me.  Thankfully, Kilala had pretty good reaction time; scooping us all up on her back and leaping into the sky before the three energy beams hit.

Dangling from the nekomata’s mouth, I found myself in the center of my own, personal Hell.  Heights were not my favorite thing, even before getting flung off a cliff.  Now, I was nearly reduced to catatonia.  Reality had pulled away from me, the colors graying out while I began to hyperventilate.  Even my extremities were starting to tingle, my vision blurring while I fought to cling onto consciousness.  Thankfully, I was set down after a matter of moments.  It was too late, however.  My legs had decided to turn to jello, making it impossible for me to stand on my own power.  So, when the giant feline set me down, I crumpled like a wet noodle.

 Immediately, I found myself surrounded by the group that had adopted me as their own.  Looking up into their kind faces, I smiled the best I could as questions about my health bombarded me.  Most concerned were Inuyasha and Kagome, seeming to blame themselves for pushing me too hard, too fast.  Waving them off, I smiled as best I could before getting to my wobbly legs.  “None of you did anything wrong.  It was just being up in the air.  Remember how you guys saw me falling from the sky?  That’s because I had been blown off the cliff by a freak storm.  I guess such a traumatic entry caused a pathological fear of being up high,” I explained, still feeling more than just a little woozy.

“That could be a problem.  Most of our travel is done by air.  Not to mention the fact you will likely get tossed around by more than one demon.  You can’t afford to freeze up like that, it could get ya killed,” Inuyasha growled, pointing out something I had already figured out.  It was all I could do not to be completely sarcastic.

“I know that!  Can’t see how I can help it though!  I just found out about this today, cut me some fucking slack here,” I snapped back, regretting my harshness as soon as the words had left my mouth.

Sighing, I rubbed the back of my head while avoiding all their eyes; staring at the lush grass beneath my tennis shoes.  “Sorry.  Its just... I’m under a lot of stress.  I fall into a world I don’t know, I have no way to return home and I have to learn powers I didn’t even know I had,” came an apology, a sense of weariness filling me.

It would not be an easy journey and, unlike Kagome, I would likely wind up alone at the end of it.  It was only a clawed hand landing on my right shoulder that snapped me out of my distressing thoughts.  “Hey, I’m sorry I made you feel like you were under so much pressure.  I just wanted to make sure you could take care of yourself while travelling with us,” he murmured, ears tilted back with shame.  Placing my own hand over the one he had put on my shoulder, I waited until his eyes met mine before smiling to show there were no hard feelings.

“No, its okay.  We have such little time for me to be up to speed.  I just need a few moments before we continue,” Sighed out of me before I was turning my back and walking toward a near-by stream.

The further I got from the small group, the more calm I felt; an inner tension slowly leaving me.  While I didn’t expect this experience to be all sunshine and roses, I also hadn’t anticipated it being this stressful.  Kneeling down by the stream, I stared into the crystal clear water; allowing my mind to drift along with the current.  As insurmountable as it all seemed, I  _ was _ making progress.  It wasn’t unimaginable that I would be ready before the time limit.  Scooping some of the crystal clear fluid into my hands, I splashed my face a few times before taking a seat.  Watching the fish swim by, I took the opportunity to center myself as well as prepare to get back to work.

Needless to say, when I felt someone settle beside me; I nearly jumped out of my skin.  Jolting backward, I spun my head to see Kagome; a deeply concerned expression on her young face.  “You gonna be okay?” whispered out of her, one of her hands resting on my right forearm.

“Yeah, just gotta suck it up.  After all, I have no doubt you’ve been through much worse than me,” I assured, feeling touched that she had been worried enough to follow me.

“You really have no idea.  When I came here, I found out I was a reincarnation of the woman meant to guard the Shikon Jewel.  I had to learn how to use my sleeping powers too and I had a much harder time than you are now.  I  _ still _ don’t have perfect control of my reiki,” she confessed, making me feel just the slightest bit better about my own situation.

“Let’s go back.  As hardass as he seems, ‘Yasha will be getting worried and you aren’t doing as badly as you think.  I bet we can even help you work on your problem with heights,” came a suggestion I couldn’t help but agree with.

So, with a nod, I got to my feet and followed the teen back to the clearing.  While I doubted I could overcome such a severe phobia of being up high, I knew I could do nothing but try.  After all, what could it hurt.  So, as soon as we were back with the others, I was getting into my normal fighting stance.  While seeming skeptical, Inuyasha gave nod before leaping into the air.  Thus, the training for that day continued as if nothing had happened; lasting long into the night.  By the time we were both satisfied by my progress, the others had fallen asleep in the back of the clearing.


	5. A Week in Hell (Part 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I was originally going to make this entire three chapters into one summary. I figured, since I was writing, I should show and tell... So it got lengthened to what it is now. I hope it helped humanize Jade as well as give you a better idea of what kind of person she is.

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 5~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

Hopping across the clearing as quickly as I could, I dodged the shots from Kilala with some difficulty, coughing harshly from the dirt spraying up in the air.  Yet, I had no time to catch my breath and I knew it.  With a few, quick motions, I was sending a variety of fire attacks toward the firecat and Inuyasha; using them as a distraction to dart to the left.  Using the dirt in the air as cover, I snuck into the trees to allow for time to rest.  We had only been at this for a half hour and I already had a massive stitch in my side.

Still, I couldn’t just ask for a time out.  This was a test.  To make sure I would really be able to handle what was coming in only two more days.  The thud of the big cat landing made me go on the alert and I was taking a deep breath before peeking around the tree I was hiding behind.  My teacher was sliding off his borrowed mount, his sword draw while he listened for any sign of movement.  Licking my dry lips, I motioned to the teen on my right; feeling gratified when she nodded and prepared a reiki attack.

Then, she was hurling it at the hanyou; the pink ball crashing into the ground and sending a fountain of dirt upward.  This caused both him and Kilala to spin toward her, exactly like I wanted.  Taking my opportunity, I carefully snuck out into the field while he stalked toward where Kagome was hiding.  Then, with a flick of my wrist, I sent a wave of fire at his back; unable to hold back a wince when it hit him right on target.  Cursing, he flung his haori onto the ground; stomping out the smoldering flames.  Despite knowing it was flame retardant, he probably couldn’t help wanting to prevent any possible damage.

As if sensing the fight was over, Kilala transformed back into her smaller form; bounding up to Sango with a mewl of excitement.  Chuckling, the Taijiya came out of hiding; quickly followed by Miroku and Kagome.  “We both did great!” the teen cheered, seeming excited her reiki had done what she’d told it to for once.  Most of the time during the private practice we’d had last night, it had simply refused to go where she directed it.  That was when I had suggested meditation so she could commune with her powers like I had.  A practice she had been at for the rest of the night.  From the looks of it, it had worked wonders.

Even Inuyasha was impressed, smiling at her as she ran toward him with a huge grin on her face.  Just seeing it made my inner fangirl squeal with glee.  Yet, I couldn’t help but feel just the smallest bit jealous.  No matter how hard I tried, my presence in this group would likely be superficial at best.  After all, I couldn’t expect to move in with any of them after things with Naraku were said and done.  Still, I didn’t dwell on it, walking toward the group to offer my congratulations.  As soon as I got close enough, however, I was nearly tackled when the young miko gave me a rather enthusiastic hug.  “We have to celebrate!  I know!  We could go hunting so Kaede can make something really special!” declared her enthusiastic voice right in my ear.

Wincing slightly, I could only smile and nod; feeling a little excited myself.  “Feh, I’d be more happy if you’d just go back to your time to fetch me some ramen,” grumbled a surly response, making the both of us look at a certain hanyou in disbelief.  Then, a deceptively sweet expression came over Kagome’s face; all of us jolting slightly in response.  Hunching, the half-youkai backed away from his furious companion as she straightened; walking toward him with a never changing grin.

“Why, of course I can go all the way home just to get your precious freeze dried noodles and packet of spices.  It surely tastes better than anything me and Kaede could make tonight,” hissed out of her while his eyes widened and his ears laid back.  Before he could even begin to apologize, she was uttering a dreaded three letter word; sending him slamming into the ground.

Getting to my feet and brushing off the jeans Kagome had so gracious brought for me from her time, I simply began to head back to the village.  Sango and Miroku followed close behind, also aware of the fact this could take a long while.  It probably wouldn’t be until we were long gone that they even noticed our absence in the first place.  Our time would be better spent asking Kaede what she would feel like making for this celebration in mind.  So it was no surprise when we got halfway to the village before we heard the pair we had left behind calling for us to wait.  Chuckling, I slowed down to allow them to catch up; knowing very well I was about to get an earful from Inuyasha.

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 6~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

Sweat dripped from my face as I dodged an onslaught of attacks.  It was a wonder I was able to keep up so far but I wouldn’t be able to do so for long.  So I lunged forward, preceding my attack with fire balls as well as waves, keeping the flames around my fists for close combat.  Using all I had been taught through trial and error, I swung out at Inuyasha; taking a hit from Sango’s Hiraikotsu to my left side.  Grimacing, I continued my attack; not all that surprised when my fist was caught in a clawed hand.  Still, I could use the forced closeness to my advantage.

Using my other hand, I shot a blast of fire at the hanyou; forcing him to release my wrist.  “Fuck,” hissed out of him while I bounced backward.  While some part of me wanted to check if he was okay, I was almost certain it was a trap.  It would take a lot more than that to bring him down.  Sure enough, he was grinning at me before sending a wind scar my way.  Utterly exhausted and unable to jump out of its path, I sent a volley of fire attacks at the energy wave in an effort to blast it apart.  Unfortunately, it had no effect and I was left staring while the attack got closer at a disconcerting rate.

Just before it would hit me, I was yanked out of the way.  Looking up, I saw I was dangling from Kilala’s jaws.  Thankfully, she hadn’t jumped into the air; leaving me only a couple feet above the ground instead of several.  Once she was sure I was out of danger, the cat youkai set me down carefully; nuzzling me before looking up at her mistress.  “Good girl!” praised the demon slayer, walking toward us to pat the top of the massive creature’s muzzle.

“Thanks Kilala,” I murmured, reaching up to scratch behind her ear when she leaned toward me with a ground shaking purr.

“Inuyasha!” came a yell that drew my attention to the pair that were still several feet in front of me.

“What?!  She was never in any real danger Kags.  She has to learn how to dodge, how to plan ahead,” the hanyou protested, his expression saying he knew full well just how much trouble he was in at the moment.

Before she could ‘sit’ him, I decided to say something in his defense.  “He’s right you know.  We always have a back-up plan while training and it helps give Kilala a chance to learn to watch out for  _ me _ as well,” I pointed out, making my way toward the pair.  Pursing her lips, the sixteen year old looked every bit like she wanted to argue but her logical side was slowly starting to win out.  She knew just as well as I did what was at stake here.  I had no real choice but to learn the hard way, to be put in danger.  After all, none of the enemies we encountered would be all that concerned about my safety.

“I guess I see your point but we should at least stop for lunch.  You’re exhausted and won’t be able to defend yourself until you rest,” she responded, her words also making sense.

So, with a nod, I flopped backward onto the lush grass; allowing the warmth of the sun to wash over my pale skin.  Since I had been here, I had only noticed how peaceful it was a handful of times.  Lately, I had been busy training; learning my powers and improving my techniques.  After almost a week, I was finally starting to have confidence in my abilities.  I felt like I could afford to relax and listen to the birds chirping, a huge difference from when I had first started this journey.  While I had a lot more to learn, I felt like I could at least hold my own in a battle.  Watching the clouds, I couldn’t help but smile when the others laid on the grass nearby.

Soon, we were calling out the shapes we could see in the white, fluffy collections of water vapor.  Inuyasha saw elaborate battles and weapons, Kagome saw all manner of cute things, Sango saw visions of her brother and Kilala and Miroku... they were all happier not hearing what he saw.  Shippo, who had been relegated to the sidelines, simply sucked on his lollipop; green eyes watching his strange companions.  While he wasn’t strong enough to help with training, he could still provide some moral support.

After a few minutes, I slowly sat up; looking back at said fox demon before motioning for him to join us.  Bounding over with excitement clear on his young face, the kit jumped on top of his adopted mother so he too could watch the clouds.  It was no shock when he claimed to see all manner of sweets suspended in the sky, soon growing hungry from watching them.  A fact that didn’t go unnoticed by the reincarnated priestess.  “‘Yasha, do you think you could get some fish for our lunch?” came a sweet, plaintive question, making the half demon shift while he let out an embarrassed grumble.

“Feh, what am I; your errand boy,” he snapped despite the fact they all knew he’d go do it anyway.

“Pleeeeaaaaase,” Kagome wheedled, sitting up to give him her version of puppy eyes.  Jolting backward with a stricken expression, the young male sighed before getting to his feet.

“Alright, alright...,” he conceded before he was sprinting off into the forest.

The rest of us got to our feet as well, gathering branches and kindling for a cooking fire.  While the village was only a few feet away, I had to get used to outdoor cuisine.  We wouldn’t be able to carry a cauldron for stew after all.  It helped that I didn’t mind roast fish or wild boar.  Still, I had doubts I’d be able to withstand meat from a youkai.  Even if it was one of the more feral ones.  I just wouldn’t be able to get the image of all the youkai I cared for from watching the show out of my mind.  Though, I would probably change my tune if things got dire enough.  It was the smell of smoke that brought me back to the here and now.

Staring down at the spark growing in the dry grass we had gathered, I wondered if Inuyasha would be okay with me shifting my lessons to survival training.  While I was confident I could help in battle, I only had the barest knowledge of surviving in the forest.  I couldn’t start fire on my own, nor could I find my way with the stars or position of the sun if I got separated.  About the only thing I could do was clean and catch fish.  Still, at least I could help prepare lunch.  So, when the hanyou came back with an armful of fish, I helped Kagome and Sango prepare them for lunch.

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 7~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

Since I brought up survival training after lunch, Inuyasha had decided to have us spend the rest of the day in the clearing.  Kagome only went back to the village to gather her supplies while the rest of us turned the training area into more of a camp.  A task we didn’t finish until just before sunset.  That night, the half dog had begun with the stars; pointing out which constellations were closer to the village as well as which stars led which direction.  Afterward, we had all decided to go to sleep, our half-breed leader being the only one to stay awake to watch the fire.

What woke me the next day was neither the sun or the sounds of the others.  It was the birds.  Groups of different species all greeting the day with their voices before the sun had even considered getting out of bed.  Birds I had never heard before.  In fact, I doubted a lot of them existed in my time.  Sitting up and stretching, I looked down at the sleeping bag Kagome had been so kind to get for me from the well.  She had also gotten me my own, rather large backpack as well as some supplies to go with it.

Smiling to myself, I looked up at the sky; not all that surprised to see it was a deep purple.  A foretelling of dawn.  “Morning,” grumbled a midtone a few feet across from me, drawing my gaze to my instructor.  Giving him a smile, I got to my feet to crack my back; breathing deeply through my nose.  Pure, cold air hit my lungs like a glass of ice water on a hot day, reminding me why I really didn’t mind the current circumstances I found myself entwined in.  This place was something other people could only dream about while toiling under smog choked skies.  In fact I had to wonder if the past from my reality could hold any comparison to this or if it had been romanticized by the creator.  Just pondering on that brought many more questions about reality and how this realm could exist when it was just an anime where I had come from.  Questions that made my head ache.

“Did you get any sleep?” I inquired in an effort to take my mind off these mysteries.  Mysteries I would likely never understand in my lifetime.

“Feh, course not!  I don’t need sleep,” growled the seemingly arrogant response.  Yet, I knew better.  It was likely just his insecurity and need to prove himself causing this behavior.  Therefore, I simply brushed it off with a teasing eyebrow raise while giving him a smirk.

“Alright, ‘Superman’.  So, you going to show me how to find my way in the woods or what?” I baited, not shocked in the least when he puffed up like a silver haired toad.

Kagome and Shippo seemed especially amused, giggling into their hands behind his back while he began to sputter angrily.  A few minutes later and we were all in the middle of the forest neighboring the village.  An unimaginably large area of land that was likely a city in Kagome’s version of the present.  “First of all, you have to be on the look out for local plants.  Also, the position of the sun and knowing how to find North from it is a good way to find a village,” began a lecture from the right of me, drawing my attention to a certain hanyou.

“We’ll have to work on your knowledge and test you daily as we travel.  Though, if you  _ do _ get separated, I could find you with my nose,” he pointed out.

“I know that but, still, I think its relevant I learn this.  We might not always be together and there may come a time where I have to travel alone,” I reasoned, thinking of the far off future where Naraku was defeated and being a group was no longer needed.

Inuyasha and the others only stared at me, understanding coming into their eyes.  It almost hurt to see the sympathy there.  “Jade... we may not know you very well but we already consider you family.  Besides, you won’t have to worry about that for a bit yet,” Kagome comforted, taking me into a gentle hug while the others nodded.  Only the half-breed stayed still, a strangely sad glimmer in his golden eyes.

“But we can’t guarantee she will be able to find her own place amongst us,” he pointed out, ears tilting backward as a flash of hurt crossed his rugged features.

For a moment, the young miko looked ready to argue with him.  Then comprehension came over her face before she was biting her lower lip and rubbing her arm in an abashed manner.  “I know that but...  She’s already part of our little family.  I don’t want to think of the day we’ll all separate,” came a quiet confession, her voice laced with fear.  Frowning slightly, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders; smiling as she looked up at me with eyes awash with tears.

“Then let’s just look at it as learning valuable skills,” I suggested getting her to smile slightly before she was nodding in agreement.

In a few moments, she and Sango were helping to point out local plants as well as unusual trees that could help lead to the village.  The best landmark, however, was Goshinboku.  The giant tree Inuyasha had been pinned to fifty years ago.  Just seeing it filled me with a sense of awe, my body moving toward it without my notice until I was within touching distance.  Eyes scanning the ancient bark until they landed on the gouge where the arrow had been.  Reaching forward with shaking fingers, I felt a shock roll through me as the tips dipped into the tiny hole.  “Jesus,” whispered out of me, a shudder going through my body.

For some reason, this made everything more real than it already had been; really slamming it home I was in this alien place.  That I wasn’t suddenly going to wake up to a doctor telling me I had been in a coma for the past week.  This was going to be my reality for the rest of my natural life.  Taking a deep breath, I gave the trunk a pat before I was walking back to the group.  My new family that had so willingly taken me in.  Together, we made our way to the village to gather some supplies as well as say goodbye.

Unsurprisingly, Kaede was already waiting for them; a resigned smile on her weathered face.  Yet, in the one eye she had, there was a suffocating amount of guilt.  Especially when she looked up at Kagome.  It was like she blamed herself for the teen’s predicament, making my heart ache for the elder.  None of the Jewel’s keepers had asked for the terrible responsibility or the misfortune it would ultimately bring along with it.  It was only the fact that Kikyo had been born first that had spared the elder before me now.  It was no one’s fault her sister’s reincarnation now bore the responsibility.

Giving her a hug, I wished deeply I could offer her some words of comfort.  Unfortunately, the best I could do was give a heartfelt goodbye and accept the bundle of food she handed off to me.  All too soon, we were heading down a road that led to the West; waving to the villagers until they were out of sight.  Looking ahead to the forest looming before us, I felt apprehension fill me.  The significance of the direction we were heading was not lost on me.  Sooner or later, we would likely run into a certain Western Lord; an encounter I was  _ not _ looking forward to in the slightest.  “First, we gotta get to Totosai.  You may have powers but you definitely need a weapon,” Inuyasha declared, crouching so Kagome could clamber onto his back.

Taking this as a signal, Kilala transformed; stooping to allow Miroku and Sango to clamber onto her back.  Shippo also transformed, turning into a pink balloon with a strange face on it.  Giving the kitsune a skeptical glance, I got onto his squishy form as gently as I could.  Then, to my horror, we were rising into the air.  Burrowing my face into the rubbery substance below me, I closed my eyes and fought to keep my breathing even.  “It’ll be a week’s travel, even using the transportation available to us.  We’ll only take breaks to go to the bathroom, eat and sleep,” the hanyou declared before we were setting off on our journey.  All I could do was hang on and pray I didn’t faint.


	6. Important Journey (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I want to make this as... realistic as possible? Means we’re in for the long haul on this one. Will it be worth it? Not sure yet. xD;

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

To my immense relief, it wasn’t much longer before we landed and began to head in a more northern direction.  Maybe, with a bit of luck, we could avoid a confrontation with a certain youkai lord.  While he was handsome, he also hated the small group I now travelled with.  Inuyasha especially.  He saw the hanyou as a blight on his house, among other things.  Yet, despite knowing all of this, a large part of me wanted to lay eyes on him at least once.  Just to see if he was as handsome in person.  Blushing at the direction my thoughts had taken, I forced my focus to the path ahead.

This trip was to get a weapon I could use in battle.  Something I could hopefully fill with my power and attack with.  How I would get materials to make said weapon, I had no idea.  I had no fangs of my own and it wasn’t exactly something I could ask Inuyasha for.  From what I saw in the show, being given a demon’s fang was a massive sign of trust as well as respect.  While he was beginning to see me as an asset to the team, I highly doubted his opinion of me had increased  _ that _ much.  The best I could hope for was to get one from a youkai we encountered on the way.

Looking around at the forest the surrounded us on both sides, I was both relieved and disappointed it was fairly quiet.  Not so much as a rustle, let alone any sightings of anything suspicious.  It was shaping up to be a rather uneventful trip, which meant I would have little reason to practice my powers.  Still, this didn’t mean I was allowed to slack off.  I fully intended to do a bit of training tonight just to keep myself in a condition where I would be useful.  Even now, I was taking in the foliage, making notes of easily recognized trees.  If I got asked to go into the forest for anything, I wanted to be able to find my way back.

Not to mention the fact that I wanted to keep practicing what I had been taught.  If we had to split up for some reason, I had to know where I was going and how to get there.  Reaching up to scratch an itchy spot on my neck, I froze when I felt something sitting there.  Something very much alive and growing bigger with each suck of my blood.  On instinct alone, I smacked it; bringing my hand to my face so I could see what it was.  I wasn’t all that shocked with I saw a very flat Myoga on my palm.  “Hey guys, we have a stowaway,” I announced, causing the others to stop mid-step.

In the next second, Inuyasha was in front of me; looking down at my hand.  “Oh, that’s just my retainer Myoga the flea.  I inherited him from my father.  If he’s here it can only mean trouble,” grumbled an annoyed explanation before he was holding out his own hand.  Carefully, I tipped the tiny youkai into the offered appendage.

“I beg your pardon!  Your father asked me specifically to see to your welfare and this is how you repay me?” the elderly demon huffed, popping back to normal while crocodile tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Gee, you must be desperate if you’re putting on such an act.  Just tell me who ya pissed off and be done with it,” his hanyou master snarled, not looking the least bit convinced.

Jolting slightly and obviously caught, Myoga cleared his throat while his tiny mustache twitched.  “So cruel...,” he sniffled, lowering his bulbous, bald head.  Looking to one side he placed his four arms inside his sleeves, seeming to contemplate his limited options.

“If you must know...  Your half brother is searching for you.  He wanted me to give you a message,” came a confession that made my heart stop in my chest.

Sesshomaru was searching for Inuyasha, a fact that could only mean one thing.  He meant to finally claim the sword he thought was his birthright, the Tessaiga.  While I harbored a crush for the handsome male, I wasn’t about to allow him to harm my friends.  Then again, what could I really do?  As it was, my fire attacks wouldn’t be much of a deterrent.  “And you came straight to us?!” roared a voice in front of me, bringing me back to reality with a sharp thud.

“Oh, uh... I guess that is a fair point....  Eh heh,” gulped the flea, covering his head and cowering as he readied himself to be flattened once again.

Smooshing his retainer, Inuyasha flicked him off into the woods before continuing to lead the way through the forest.  “We’ll have to take off again soon.  Are ya gonna be ready for that Shippo?” he bit out, ears swiveling to catch even the slightest of sounds.  If Sesshomaru was, indeed, on the hunt for his half brother; it would make sense he would follow the flea.  Whether in person or via Jaken.

“I might need a bit more time to recover.  I’m only a kid you know,” protested the young kitsune from Kagome’s shoulder.  While he had gotten better at holding transformations for longer amounts of time, he still needed quite a bit to recoup the energy he had expended.

Letting out a soft growl of annoyance that was mixed with worry, he began to move faster.  Right now, it was more important that we keep moving until we could fly again.  The longer we remained in one place, the easier it would be for our pursuers to find us.  Still, some part of me was a bit surprised the headstrong half inu wasn’t heading for a confrontation.  From what I knew of him from the anime, he would usually be all too willing to face off with the powerful noble.  A fact I wasn’t about to complain about.

Unfortunately, it was nearly a half hour before Shippo was ready to fly again.  While neither Kagome or Inuyasha could sense either Sesshomaru or his little servant, there was still a tense feeling in the air.  None of us would feel safe until we were in the air and far away from this place.  So, when the young fox was finally able to assume his balloon form; I climbed on and closed my eyes.  Ignoring the sickening way my stomach dipped when I felt him rise into the air.  In my opinion, we couldn’t reach Totosai soon enough.

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

After flying for most of the day, I was all too happy to set down for lunch.  Having put many miles between us and Sesshomaru’s pack since yesterday, we all felt a lot more relaxed.  Yet, that hadn’t meant we could afford to relax too much.  We still had a quest to complete and after that, it was back to shard hunting.  Clambering off Shippo, I rummaged around in my backpack for the collapsable, bamboo pole Kagome had given me.  Making sure Inuyasha was ready, I headed off into the forest to catch our food.

Disgruntled, the hanyou followed behind; complaining the entire way.  “I won’t have time ta bait yer hook ya know” and “Guess I’ll have ta get the fish off the line too.  Whatta pain” were among the most insulting.  Biting back my growing need to give him a good chewing out, I decided to just show him instead.  After all, actions spoke much louder than words.  Especially with someone like Inuyasha.  So, sitting beside a calm bank of a nearby river, I pulled out a small bag I had tied loosely to a belt loop in my jeans.  Opening the small sack, I picked out a choice nightcrawler; spearing the tiny invertebrate onto my hook with impunity.  Swinging out the line tied to the end of the rod, I simply held on and waited.

Watching the entire show with a slightly shocked expression, a certain half youkai settled beside me with his own pole.  Silence passed between us, my eyes stubbornly fixed on the ripples in the still water while my companion began to twitch.  Then I felt it, a telltale tug on the line that signified I had a fish.  With a swift yank, I set the hook and began to pull in my catch.  With a flip of the fin, a sizeable bass jumped out of a water; drawing a small gasp from me despite myself.

Gritting my teeth, I fought against the fish while Inuyasha watched.  In moments, I landed water dweller; picking it up via the gills so I could work the hook free.  I couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit satisfied when the arrogant male seemed even more surprised.  “I’ve done my fair share of fishing in my time,” I informed, winking at him before refreshing my bait.  Scowling slightly, he took my catch from my hand; tying it to a piece of rope he had brought along.

Smirking, I watched as my pile of fish steadily grew larger while he caught nothing at all.  Giving me a rather assessing glance, he shook his head before getting to his feet.  Taking this as a signal our day had ended, I followed suit; gathering the rather impressive catch.  “I guess ya did pretty good, for a girl,” came a rather schoolyardish, backhanded compliment.  Letting out a laugh, I found myself a bit disappointed.  Some part of me had expected him to mature just a bit more than he obviously had.

“Yeah, I’m only bringing home all of the fish.  Ya better watch out or I’ll have Kagome sit you when we get back,” I playfully threatened, chuckling harder when he visibly paled and his eyes widened.

“Y-you wouldn’t  _ really _ do that, would you?” he whimpered, hunching like a frightened puppy.

Sighing, I shook my head and grinned before heading back to camp.  While I wanted to reassure him, I also wanted to see him grovel just a little after his remarks and insulting apology.  Besides, what he didn’t know could help give me a bit of leverage when he wanted to be a jerk later.  With how hard it seemed to be for him to just apologize, I knew it would probably happen a lot.  Unlike Kagome, I had no real way to defend myself against his verbal jabs.  Putting a smile on my face as I entered the clearing where the group was, I handed over the fish to the young miko before taking a seat on my sleeping bag.

Soon, the smell of fish was filling the air; causing my stomach to give a rather loud reminder I hadn’t eaten much in the rush yesterday.  Clearing my throat, I wandered over to Sango to help her clean whatever was left; just wanting to do something with my hands.  “Are you alright Jade?” she whispered after a few moments, taking me a bit off guard.  Looking up, I met the eyes of the slayer; warm and full of a deep sadness.

“Just Inuyasha.  Despite all the training we’ve done together, he still sees me as nothing more than a weak girl,” I lamented quietly, keeping an eye on Kagome to make sure she wasn’t heading this way.  Last thing I wanted was the teen to use the word of subjugation on my behalf, despite threatening the hanyou that I would do just that.

“Do not take it too much to heart.  He is not the easiest person to get along with at first.  It takes him some time to warm up to you, to trust you.  I imagine its because of all those years he had to live in the wilderness alone,” came an explanation I didn’t need.  Not that Sango knew that.

“I kind of figured that from how he was acting.  Still, doesn’t mean the words don’t hurt,” I replied, looking up to see said half-breed shooting me occasional, guilty glances.

“I imagine he feels terrible about it but just doesn’t know how to apologize.  I’ve lived him with a while now and have gotten familiar with his various personality quirks,” the Taijiya continued, smiling slightly as we finished scaling and gutting the last of the fish.

Setting the speared catch near the rim of the fire, I took a seat near Kagome and Shippo; blatantly ignoring a twitching Inuyasha.  Sensing something was up, the sixteen year old to my right stared at me while I picked out one of the fish that had already been cooked.  “What did ‘Yasha do to you,” whispered in my ear as she leaned closer to prevent herself from being heard.  Unfortunately, her words didn’t escape a certain half dog; his figure hunching slightly.

“It wasn’t all that terrible.  Besides, I think we can sort it out ourselves,” I deflected before taking a bite of the baked fish.  To my surprise, I liked it much better than I thought I would.

Nibbling around the tiny bones and spitting out the ones that got in my mouth, I began to notice a certain crimson clad male inching his way ever closer to where I was sitting.  Kagome seemed to have seen him too, taking another fish and heading off to talk to Sango for a bit.  Ignoring his presence for the time being, I took another of the speared fish and began to eat.  “I... didn’t mean what I said earlier.  You’ve made a good addition to the group so far and you didn’t deserve to be spoken to like that,” grumbled a mid-tone to my left, the suddenness coming close to making me jump out of my skin.

Fighting the urge to stare at the proud half youkai, I swallowed my mouthful before responding.  “Thanks for that.  I’m not some useless bimbo you know and what you said...  Still, I forgive you.  Just don’t do it again,” sighed out of me, silence stretching between us for an uncomfortable amount of time.  After a few moments, I slowly got to my feet to begin setting out my sleeping bag.  Curling up in the warm depths, I smiled at how like a young boy the hanyou was.  Unsure of how to apologize or even what to do once everything was said and done.  All in all, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold anything against him for too long.

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

As we travelled on foot for the time being, Sango and Kagome began pointing out the local plants to help me with my survival training.  They knew which ones were poisonous and which ones could help heal illness.  With my healing powers still developing, such knowledge would be very helpful.  The best I could do was heal superficial cuts and even that exhausted me, draining me of energy for hours after.  To be honest, it was more than a little discouraging.  The fire magic had come easier.

Staring up at the trees I now knew were various pines, Ginkgo trees and cherry trees, I began to feel my mood lift.  I was retaining the information, a huge plus in my book.  Still, herbs were a bit different than trees.  There were so many and they all had such wildly varying effects.  It was making my head swim trying to keep up with it all.  More than likely, I would have to go to either Sango or Kagome to identify anything I found until I got the hang of it.

Letting out a sigh, I forced away my feelings of inadequacy.  I wasn’t superhuman after all.  It would take anyone a fair amount of time to get a handle on this.  Feeling a tug on my pants, I looked down to see Shippo staring up at me with wide, green eyes.  Leaning down to see what he wanted, I was more than a bit shocked when he hopped on my shoulder.  Making sure he was settled, I carefully straightened and continued to move forward; lagging just a bit behind the others.

From my vantage point I could see the various pairs of the group, making me feel happy and lonely at the same time.  Sango and Miroku seemed to have long moved past whatever misunderstandings they had in the anime, sharing a comfort with eachother most people could only envy.  Even when he flirted with other women, it never had any real intent to it.  It seemed to be more part of a bizarre ritual that was oddly sacred to the pair.  Then there was Kagome and Inuyasha.  They were still learning to trust one another while being bound together by both past and desire.

Every day, the hanyou seemed to let the teen just a bit further past his thorny defenses; his eyes shining a deep honey amber whenever he looked at her.  The only problem was Kikyou.  Although I hadn’t been here for very long, I could tell the undead priestess hung over the pair like a funeral cowl.  “Ya know, you smell a lot different than Kagome,” murmured a scratchy voice in my ear, bringing me back to the here and now with a slam.

“I don’t know how either...  Its weird,” the kitsune continued, a slightly suspicious note to his young voice.

Turning my head so I could look at him, I was startled to see his green eyes boring right into me.  Almost like he was trying to see into my very soul.  After a few, disconcerting moments, he simply shook his head with a grin.  “Oh well, I guess that doesn’t really matter.  You seem like a good person,” he declared before moving to a perch on my head.

“Glad you think so.  Last thing I want to do is hurt any of you,” I replied, my heart dipping when I saw Inuyasha crouch so Kagome could hop onto his back.

“Aw gee, and I was just getting comfy,” came a good natured complaint before the fox youkai was hopping off me to transform.

Staring at the goofy, pink balloon that floated a few inches above the ground, I swallowed the reluctance I felt and clambered onto his squishy surface.  Hunching down, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes; doing my best to ignore the feeling of rising into the air.  As long as I didn’t see just how high up we were, I could convince myself we were just traveling along the road.  “Won’t be much longer Jade!  Just a few more days,” encouraged the voice of Miroku, not filling me with any amount of confidence.

“All I ask is you throw up over the side.  The smell is really difficult to get out of the fur,” Shippo added in, drawing a groan from me as a shaky feeling began to fill my limbs.

Sooner or later, I would have to get used to this.  For now, I was just grateful I hadn’t passed out or vomited.  Breathing slowly to steady my racing heart, I prayed it wouldn’t be too long before we set down again; despite the fact I knew we would be in the air for hours.  Having the hope it would be sooner helped keep me calm.  Still, I forced myself to open my eyes the tiniest sliver.  I knew I would regret it but I had to force myself to get past my fear somehow.  What better way than to admire the scenery from the back of a very safe mode of transportation.

Craning my head slightly, I took in the blur of trees below.  While it  _ was _ gorgeous, it instantly filled me with nausea and made me feel incredibly dizzy.  Images of my fall from the cliff filled my head as I clamped my eyes shut once more, biting the inside of my cheek so I wouldn’t pass out.  I was more than safe and, even if I fell, Inuyasha would make sure nothing happened to me.  Letting out a quiet moan, I simply held on and forced everything else to the back of my mind.  All I wanted to do was make it to our next destination without fainting.  A feat that was seeming harder and harder to accomplish.

After what seemed like an eternity, I felt the blessed sensation of being lowered.  As soon as Shippo stopped, I was opening my eyes and sliding off; all too happy to feel solid ground under my feet.  “What would ya say about boar for dinner?” Inuyasha declared, making my stomach lurch.  Despite being hungry, I would need some time to recover from the flight before I could eat.  There was also the fact I would be expected to participate in the cleaning of said animal, a rather bloody task.  Still, I wasn’t in a position to argue; so I nodded when all the others voiced their eagerness.

A few moments after we had finished up setting up a cooking fire, the hanyou was plopping a huge, dead, fur covered pig at the edge of the camp.  Grimacing at the amount of work, I moved toward the kill with Sango and Kagome.  Slicing open the belly, the teen removed the steaming guts while I slit the throat; the smell of blood coating the back of my throat.  Spitting out the metallic taste, I moved to help the slayer with the ropes on the hind feet.  With some teamwork, we managed to suspend the massive animal from a thick branch; the blood pattering onto the grass below.

While gruesome, it was not something I was unused to.  My own family went hunting a lot and I had been taught how to dress a deer a long time ago.  Taking the entrails, Inuyasha went off into the forest to hopefully bury them.  The other alternative honestly made me shudder and was better off not thought on.  Grabbing a skinning knife from Sango, I instead got to work on removing the tough, furry hide while the blood drained.  Between the three of us, we had the meat ready for cooking in a matter of hours.

Watching steam roll off the browning meat on the rotisserie, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment.  Some of the skills I had learned before I had been blown here were coming in handy.  Utterly pleased I sat back and waited for Inuyasha, Shippo and Kagome to take their shares.  Taking my own, I chewed the surprisingly juicy meet as I looked up at the stars.  When I was able to recognize more than a few of the constellations I felt a real sense of homecoming.  Its like a puzzle piece fitting into the perfect spot, leaving a sense of satisfaction.  Smiling, I couldn’t help but believe I would really be alright; no matter what happened.


	7. Important Journey (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Second bit of the journey. The last day will have an entire chapter devoted to it. Please feel free to leave any comments or crits you may have~

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

The day started out normally enough.  We all got up with the sun, stretching while Kilala and Shippo prepared for flight.  Meanwhile, Inuyasha had gone off into the forest to hunt up some breakfast for the group.  While I would have liked to have joined him, I decided to stay behind to help Kagome and Sango with the fire.  That was when it happened. One moment, we were chatting and joking without a care in the world. The next, we were all freezing as Kagome sensed something very large and very angry heading our way at a fast clip.

Barely having time to prepare to go on the offensive, we braced as a massive, deformed bear came charging through the trees.  Its fierce, beady eyes glared at all of them as it pulled itself up on its hind feet, easily towering over the trees. Its crooked, overgrown fangs stuck out at awkward angles, some even poking through the top and bottom of its muzzle.  Bony spikes also protruded from parts of its fur covered body and it let out a roar loud enough to shake the ground beneath our feet. Then it was swiping, its massive, curved claws missing us by inches.

In an instant, all of us scattered; taking positions all around the mighty beast.  Without a word, Sango and Miroku were hopping onto Kilala to gain more height while Kagome notched an arrow in her bow.  Closing my fists and forcing my inner fire to surround my hands, I prepared to do my part in bringing this monster down. With a toss of hiraikotsu, the slayer got things started by directing the youkai’s attention toward her and Miroku.  Once that was accomplished, Kagome was letting loose a reiki covered arrow.

With a pink explosion, it hit its mark; purifying a large chunk of the creature’s left arm and leaving it dangling by a singular strip of fur and flesh.  Letting out a squeal mixed with a roar of agony it spun unsteadily, glaring at the teen with uncomprehending eyes. Taking my cue, I shot a few fire balls at its ass to give it something to think about.  While I wasn’t surprised when its fur immediately ignited, I couldn’t help but feel guilty when it began to flail around in panic. Mindless demon or not, it didn’t deserve to die by being burned alive. Thankfully, this presented Kagome with the perfect window to shoot for its heart.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled back the bowstring; letting loose another arrow surrounded by holy energy.  Just like the projectile before, it hit its mark; spearing right into the middle of the ursine’s heart. Blood poured from its muzzle as the flash of reiki purified its heart, exploding it in a second.  Letting out a breathless grunt, it collapsed forward with another ground shaking thud; Miroku using his wind tunnel to put out the flames on its back. As Kilala landed to allow the pair to get off her back, Inuyasha was entering the clearing; appearing all too calm given what had just happened.

Walking toward the titanic carcass, the hanyou gave a nod before turning his head to grin at all of us.  “Seems like you all work together well,” he announced, seeming proud. Taking in his words, Kagome went from tired and a bit happy with herself to complete fury.

“You mean to tell me that you were just sitting back, watching us fight that thing?!” she hissed, stomping toward him with her tiny hands clenched.  Wincing at what this could mean, I pondered whether or not it would be a good idea to intervene.

While I could understand that Inuyasha had wanted to see if I really could fight with the others, it could have gone a lot worse than it had.  What if he hadn’t been able to intervene in time? Then again, he  _ had _ been right there and I had more confidence in his abilities than I did the bear’s.  “Wait!” I called out as I made my way toward the pair, hoping to stop the fight in progress.  Stopping mid tirade, Kagome turned to look at me with a curious expression. Speed walking closer, I stopped once I was a few feet away; taking a moment or two to get my breath back.

“I don’t think he was ever going to let things go  _ too _ far,” I pointed out, having to fight to keep back the fact he wouldn’t always be around to protect us.  Only his closest friends knew that secret. It would be exceedingly suspicious if I just blurted something like that out.

“Exactly!  I just wanted to make sure all of you could defend yourselves for those times I might not be able to,” the hanyou attempted to diffuse, holding his hands up in a warding off gesture.

Seeming to finally get what was being said in between the lines, the sixteen year old went pale before all her anger seemed to drain out of her.  “Yeah... I guess that’s a fair point,” she whispered quietly, her nervous gaze flitting to me. Knowing she was likely worried she had given something away, I did my best to appear clueless; tilting my head to one side while affecting a slightly confused expression.  This seemed to set them both at ease, Sango and Miroku coming up to join us once they knew it was safe.

Shippo, who had scampered into the forest as soon as he had sensed the massiver youkai, came out with a cocky grin on his face.  Almost like he had done all the fighting. “Heh, that’ll teach him to mess with the likes of me,” he declared as he scampered up to the top of the carcass to strike a pose.  Chuckling, his adoptive mother simply shook her head before going to pack up her stuff. With the stench of the demon bear, it would be near impossible to eat breakfast in the clearing that had been our campsite.  After a few moments, we were in the air; searching for another place to set up a temporary camp so we could eat.

Once everyone had settled, Inuyasha was bringing out a few rabbits he had caught.  Thankfully, the fur and guts had already been removed but some part of me was reluctant to eat such a cute animal.  Still, I wasn’t about to turn my nose up at what was offered to me. So, once one was cooked and Inuyasha had already taken his portion, I took one of the legs.  Telling myself it was only chicken, I took a bite. To my surprise, it wasn’t as gamey as other wild animals I had eaten. In fact, it had very pleasant, sweet taste.  Eating with gusto, I was aware of the amused glances I was getting.

Knowing they hadn’t expected me to like rabbit or even be willing to eat it, I brushed it off and finished my meal.  As soon as everyone was finished eating, we were in the air and continuing our journey onward. Closing my eyes, I was a bit relieved to find my fear wasn’t as bad as it had been the first few times.  Maybe, eventually, I might even be able to ride on Shippo with no fear whatsoever. Smiling at the thought, I forced myself to open my eyes to look over the side. I was pleasantly surprised when I didn’t break out into an immediate cold sweat and could even enjoy the view a little before forced to close them once more.

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 5~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

“Okay, hold the sword like this and put your legs like this,” came gentle but firm instructions while clawed hands positioned my body the way they wanted me.

Tightening my grip on an untransformed Tetsusaiga, I focused on the hanyou as he came to stand in front of me.  Eyeing my stance, he nodded before stepping out of the way. “Take a few practice swings. Won’t know what to fix if I can’t see what’s wrong in the first place,” he instructed, the watchful eyes on the sidelines making me feel more than a little self conscious.  Licking my lips, I took a swing and still came close to falling over despite his earlier advice. Catching me before he could hit the ground, he nodded before helping me straighten.

As soon as I was back into a proper fighting stance, he was giving me more advice.  “Don’t put your entire weight into a swing. Let the blade do all the work. Plant your feet more firmly too.  That way you won’t stumble,” he instructed before moving to the side so I could try it again. Taking a steadying breath, I took another swing.  By some miracle, I didn’t end up on my ass but I knew it would take a long time just to master the rusted looking blade. I had little hope for how I would handle my own, much newer weapon.

While inanimate, the sword felt almost wise; experienced in a way.  When I actually let the weight of the weapon carry my swing, it really felt like it was leading my hand.  With Tessaiga being used to practice with, I would at least be a bit more familiar with swordplay by the time we reached Totosai.  Still, I couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive. As strange as it sounded, my own sword would be a lot less experienced. In a sense, we would be learning together and the chance of an accident happening would be higher by a significant amount.  This, of course, meant I had to learn whatever I could now to help mitigate injuries later.

Watching as I worked on swinging my borrowed sword properly, Inuyasha frowned slightly as he seemed to consider something.  A bit curious but knowing now was lesson time, I began to work on doing damage effectively. Making an attempt to attack a log that was being used as a target, I wasn’t all that surprised when the blade bounced off the hard surface; sending an uncomfortable vibration up my right arm.  Wincing, I instinctually rubbed my upper arm to soothe the tense muscles. “Not bad but you’ll break your arm doing that. Try channeling your fire power into Tetsusaiga,” suggested my instructor.

Taking in a deep breath, I focused the fire that dwelled within me into my hands.  With a bit of effort, I was able to channel the energy up the ancient hilt but not much further.  Feeling a bit exhausted and lightheaded from the effort, I swayed while the katana dropped from my hand.  In an instant, I found myself in crimson clad arms while the others circled around me. “Are you okay?” Kagome asked while Inuyasha helped me to sit on the ground.

“Yeah... I guess I used a bit too much,” I whispered, the world spinning around me while I tried to regain my breath.

Apparently, shooting fireballs and imbuing a weapon with my fire were two entirely different things.  Like with my healing ability, I would have to practice in order to use the technique without utterly exhausting myself.  Looking up an Inuyasha apologetically, I was a bit surprised to see he was grinning. “You did pretty good for your first attempt.  Almost made it to the blade. Most people can’t even infuse the hilt without passing out,” he praised before picking up his sword to return it to its sheath.  Staring at him for a few moments, I unsteadily got to my feet to pull the hanyou in a hug.

“Thanks Inuyasha.  That means a lot to me,” husked out of me while happiness wound around my heart and squeezed.

Unused to such displays of affection from anyone but Kagome, the awkward male seemed unsure of how to react; clawed hands hovering over my back hesitantly.  After a few seconds, he settled on returning the embrace for a second. Then he was pulling away with his usual, dismissive sound. “Just... keep up with your training,” he growled lamely before hopping up in a near-by tree to make sure nothing was sneaking up on the group.  More amused than offended, I smirked up at the branches he had disappeared into. Knowing as much as I did about Inuyasha, that had been downright affectionate for him.

“Don’t mind him.  You’ll get used to how he works after a while,” assured the voice of the sixteen year old behind me.

Chuckling, I nodded before preparing to go back into the air.  We were just a couple days away from Totosai and the others were anxious to get this part of the journey done and over with.  I, on the other hand, felt nervous. We still hadn’t come across a youkai that would offer a suitable fang for the weapon. Not to mention how much more practice I needed just swinging a sword.  Clambering onto a transformed Shippo, I closed my eyes while we rose into the air. Soon, I could feel the wind through my shoulder length hair as we moved forward.

Taking a breath, I forced myself to open my eyes like always.  While still a bit discomforted by the sight of the trees below me, I no longer felt overwhelming panic.  Sitting back and relaxing a bit, I even dared to glance up at the blur of clouds above. They almost looked close enough to touch, almost resembling wisps of cotton that had been stretch over blue construction paper.  “Wow... its so pretty up here,” whispered a voice that made me startle until I realized it was just me.

“Heh, glad to hear you’re finally enjoying it a little.  You’re perfectly safe with me,” boasted the scratchy voice of the kit I was using as transportation.

Patting the squishy surface of his pink body, I rolled my eyes while letting out a quiet laugh.  “Of course. I never thought any different,” I assured, more than amused when he puffed up under me in response.  Motion to my right drew my attention to Kilala and her passengers. Raising a hand to wave at the pair, I returned my focus forward as we made our way toward some rather volcanic looking land.  The forest ended suddenly miles ahead of them, giving way to blackened, cracked earth. Rivers of lava poured lazily down jagged crags, filling me with a deep feeling of apprehension.

You didn’t have to be a genius to know just getting near that stuff would burn you alive in seconds.  Then again, not everyone was being led by a hanyou capable of making barriers. Still, a large part of me was nervous despite this.  Would Inuyasha’s barrier really be able to hold over a long amount of time? What happened if they were attacked by some magma creature?  Just thinking about all the possibilities made me feel well and truly sick to my stomach. All I could do was put my life in his hands and hope for the best.  A fact that didn’t help to comfort me in the least.

That was when I felt it, an unpleasant, almost sharp aura wrapping around my skin.  Turning my head to look behind me, I was disconcerted when I saw nothing but blue skies.  Shuddering below me, Shippo began to go just a bit faster. “Sesshomaru’s still hunting for us and he doesn’t seem all that happy,” came a warning that affirmed my silent suspicions.  Closing my eyes and pressing myself down to aid aerodynamics, I prayed he wouldn’t be able to find us before I knew how to use my weapon.

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 6~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

Now that we knew Sesshomaru hadn’t given up on finding us, we were spending less time on the ground.  Unfortunately, this meant I had little time to hone my powers or practice with Tessaiga. Not to mention learning about the native plants as well as how to find my way back to camp with the stars alone.  The only times we landed now were to eat or to allow Shippo and Kilala to rest. A concession Inuyasha had agreed after making it clear he would make a barrier every time. While his half brother could easily destroy it, it could afford them precious seconds.

Thankfully, for the time being, the daiyoukai had been unable to find them.  Most likely due to the fact Inuyasha had taken the time to hide their scents as well as auras.  Still, it was only a matter of time. Especially with the powerful demon taking matters into his own hands.  Whatever the reason he was looking for them, it certainly couldn’t be good. Especially not with his track record of trying to dispose of the entire group.  Shuddering, I grimaced while my stomach turned and twisted inside of me.

As I had come to find out, one of the biggest drawbacks of travelling like this was airsickness.  If it got much worse, I would have to ask to land for a break. Groaning, I took a deep breath through my nose in an effort to soothe my horrible nausea.  While the freshness of the air helped, the constant motion did not. “Hey, uh... if you’re gonna lose your cookies, could ya do it over the side?” Shippo requested, not for the first time.  Making a thick, urping noise, I did my best to make a sound to the affirmative.

Watching me from the sidelines, Sango and Miroku made a motion to Inuyasha the next time he leapt into the air.  Soon, they were descending; to my extreme relief. The sooner I had solid ground under my feet, the better. In fact, as soon as we were close enough, I was hopping off the kitsune’s back.  However, the sudden movement made my stomach lurch; making me lose my battle. I was barely able to make it to the bushes in time, my breakfast making a rather unpleasant return appearance.

Once I was done, Kagome was offering me a sip from her canteen.  With a grateful smile, I turned her down before pulling out my own water container.  Taking a mouthful, I swirled it around for a few seconds before spitting it out; clearing the bitter taste of bile from my mouth.  Giving an apologetic glance toward the hanyou, I felt even worse when I saw the disgusted expression on his tanned features. Being half dog demon, he could smell my vomit like he was right next to it.  Despite this, he said nothing about it. Instead, he began setting up camp in a place that was far away from my little accident.

Just happy the embarrassing incident was being ignored, I sat out of the way while I regathered my strength and allowed my stomach to settle.  As much as I wanted to help, it could be dangerous to make myself sick again. Throwing up once had already lost me valuable nutrition as well as fluids.  Laying back on the grass, I watched the clouds pass by overhead while my roiling stomach gradually began to settle. Something that would be all too temporary given our current situation.  In no time at all, we would be back in the air. I had to take the opportunity to prepare myself as much as I could.

Thankfully, it only took a few moments to be able to move without a slight, spinning sensation.  Wandering over to the fire, I felt eyes watching me and turned my head to see Inuyasha. A thoughtful expression was on his face, amber eyes sparkling while he seemed to think something over.  “We’ll stay here for a few hours. Gather our strength for a bit,” he declared after a few moments. Blinking in shock, I wasn’t the only one taken off guard by his uncharacteristic consideration.  Kagome and the others were also staring at him with unbelieving eyes, likely wondering if he had been replaced with a very clever look-a-like. Lifting a brow, he shrugged off their regard; moving off into the forest to go hunting.

Wanting to take the opportunity to practice, I followed after him; calling to make sure he knew I was there.  Twitching his ears in my direction, he stopped to allow me to catch up; wordlessly handing me his sword. “You’ll make the kill this time.  After, I’ll teach you how to gut and clean it,” he murmured, watching as I took the sheath and tied it to a belt loop of my jeans. Nodding, I followed him into the brush; taking care to be as quiet as possible.  Lifting his nose to sniff the air, he began to track something through the tight trees.

Soon, I could see flashes of white and brown fur through the foliage; making adrenaline dump into my veins.  Ears flattening, Inuyasha hunkered down; going into full stalking mode. Following his example, I tested the wind to make sure I was down wind while we worked our way closer.  When there was finally a break in the trees, I could see a youkai deer cropping grass in a clearing. If I wanted to dispose of it, I would have to be fast. Holding my breath, I withdrew my weapon as I made my way past the treeline and toward my would be prey.

Taking a deep breath, I closed the distance while my heart thundered in my ears.  I was just close enough to strike when the strange animal lifted its head to glare at me with deep red eyes.  A silent moment passed between us before I was pouncing. Gritting my teeth I unsheathed the sword and swung it down.  With sickening ease, the rusty blade sliced through skin, muscle and bone; causing blood to spray into the air like a gruesome fountain.  Some even landed on my face, making me shudder while the eviscerated animal fell to the ground. Wiping the fluid off, I grimaced as the sight of its guts spilling out onto the grass.  “Well, seems like we won’t need to gut or bleed this one,” I murmured as Inuyasha came out of the forest to join me.

With the help of his claws, we skinned the deer before he used his ‘Iron Reaver Soul Stealer’ attack to cut up the carcass.  Using clean leaves, we wrapped up the dripping meat to make its transportation easier before heading back to camp. By the time we returned, there was already a fire ready for the kill we had made.  Taking a place beside the stone ringe, I helped place pieces of venison on stakes around the flames. It wouldn’t be too long before we were eating. What happened afterward would be anyone’s guess. Still, when Inuyasha covered them with a barrier, I hoped they would remain here for the rest of the day.


	8. The Old Swordmaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: We finally meet old Totosai. Should be interesting.

Soot filled the air around us as we got closer to the volcanic area ahead.  Green grass was overtaken by blackened, rough looking rock. Just a few miles beyond that were several, huge volcanoes; more than a few oozing magma.  Already, I could feel the heat baking against my skin and we were still quite a distance away from the worst of it. Feeling more than a little nervous, I couldn’t help but wonder if the picky weapon maker really would agree to craft a sword for me.  After all, he usually only made swords for people he deemed worthy. There was every chance he would see me as below his skill and send us to another smith.

As if sensing my thoughts, Kilala swooped close to Shippo so her passengers could give me a pep talk.  “I know the territory seems intimidating but Totosai is a good guy. Most of this is to keep the cowardly from wasting his time,” Sango assured with a smile.  Giving a small grin of my own in return, I kept my gaze on the rapidly approaching wasteland.

“Do you really think he’ll make someone like  _ me _ a weapon?” I whispered, not meeting her eyes as a barrier came up around the both of us.

An amused chuckle finally tore me out of my brooding, my gaze moving to the slayer riding on the firecat beside me.  “I’m guessing a certain hanyou has been telling tales. While Totosai may be a bit picky, he doesn’t just reject someone without good reason.  Especially a young, pretty woman such as yourself,” she pointed out, earning a playfully grumpy look from the monk behind her.

“You almost make it sound like he’s competition for most perverted,” the purple clad male complained good naturedly, ducking a swipe from the taijiya.

“ _ You’re _ the  _ only _ person worried about something like that,” snarled the pink and black clad female, more humor than anger in her expression.

Watching the pair, I could only shake my head; inwardly charmed by how similar they were to the anime I had watched while I was a teen.  So far, almost everything had been amazingly close to what was depicted in the show. This, of course, raised all manner of questions. How had the creators known what had happened?  Was it some, weird coincidence? Did all of this mean I was in another reality? All things I would likely never get an answer to. Still, I couldn’t complain that these thoughts were keeping me distracted from my own fears.

As we began to get closer to the heart of the volcanic wastelands, however, these ponderings soon fled my mind.  Once again, I felt anxiety fill my body. Especially when I saw the bony remains of a massive demon laying in the middle of a field full of active lava as well as obsidian.  Its fanged mouth yawned open, cooled lava creating walls in the gaps of the ribs. There was even smoke tainted by sparks pouring out of its nostrils, making for quite the intimidating sight.  It was no wonder that the smith didn’t get much company. Only my knowledge that he was just an elderly demon kept me from going into outright panic mode.

Feeling my heart jump into my throat while we descended, I forced myself to take a slow breath to calm my nerves.  After all, the worst that could happen was that he would say no. It wasn’t like he was going to kill us. In fact, Totosai seemed to be almost a pacifist.  Rather ironic, given the fact he made weapons for a living. Sliding off Shippo and onto the blackened ground, I found myself grateful for Inuyasha’s barrier when I felt a phantom of the heat around us lick at my skin.  I would be more than glad to be out of there as soon as possible. As much as I wanted to be more useful to the group, I had no desire to be reduced to a steaming puddle on the croggled, uneven obsidian.

Watching while the others got into position on the ground, I instinctually moved toward Inuyasha for protection.  Despite being able to use my own attacks, I knew for a fact he was much more powerful than I was. There was also the little fact he was considered the alpha of this group.  Everyone was supposed to follow his lead, me included. As if to illustrate this fact, the rest of the group fell behind the hanyou as well. Giving all of us a cursory glance, he led the way to the strange entrance, the sound of metal hitting metal becoming more noticeable as they got closer.

Raising his closed fist, Inuyasha knocked on one of the fangs of the massive skull.  “Oi! Old man! Ya got visitors!” he bawled out rudely. Almost immediately, I face-palmed while Kagome simply gave him a dumbfounded glare.  Shaking her head, the teen stormed up behind him; giving him a light smack across the back of his head. Spinning on his heel to glare at his assailant, all his aggression instantly faded away for apprehension as well as a little bit of fear.

“Couldn’t you have been just a little more polite?  Last thing we need is for Totosai to get offended and refuse to see Jade,” hissed an irritated whisper that made the inu’s triangular ears lower.  Before he could respond, a plume of smoke billowed out of the open maw of the dead beast.

“Still disrespectful I see.  Ah, if only your father could see how you treat this poor, old man,” wheezed a wavery, elderly sounding, male voice as a hunched silhouette slowly became visible in the thick smog.

Gradually, a hunched, withered youkai came waddling out; leaning heavily on a long handled hammer with his bulging eyes closed and an expression of deep pain on his wizened features.  “He would be so ashamed of how you treat your elders. Especially the one responsible for the upkeep of your precious weapon,” he complained, his goatee swaying comically while he spoke.  To my amusement, the very tip of the small crop of facial hair was burned black. Likely due to the fact he was a fire-breather. Opening his bulbous eyes, he turned his head to focus on me with his abnormally tiny pupils.

“And in front of new customers too,” he continued, shaking his head while making his way toward me.

For all appearances, he looked like any elderly man.  He was hunched from arthritis, skin wrinkled and hair completely white with age.  A tattered, green and blue striped kimono draped his shriveled frame and he wore no shoes on his feet.  The only things about him that gave away his true heritage were his pointed ears, fangs and claws. Feeling all my nerves return in a rush, I bowed my head deeply; showing him the utmost respect I could.  “I apologize for the behavior of my alpha and hope you won’t hold it against me. If you can find it in your heart, I would appreciate it if you could make a sword for me,” I murmured, my heart beating a staccato against my breastbone.

“My!  And I thought such courtesy was dead.  Certainly couldn’t tell from how your leader acts!  I would be happy to fulfill your request but ya gotta show me what you can do!  If you have any powers, I’ll want to properly enhance them,” he cooed, crossing his arms and backing away to allow me room.

Apprehensive about showing my powers to a stranger, I closed my eyes and forced myself to take a deep breath.  Gathering the flames that now dwelled inside me, I forced them into my closed fists before taking one of the stances Inuyasha had taught me.  With a few, quick punches in the air, I sent out a flurry of fireballs toward a near-by volcano. “I can also heal minor wounds but I don’t get as much opportunity to practice that one.  Just healing the most superficial cut takes it out of me,” I murmured, lowering my hands while I turned to face the youkai smith.

A thoughtful expression was on his wizened face, an arthritis twisted hand rubbing his rounded chin.  “Take Inuyasha’s sword for a moment. I have a hunch a katana would suit you just fine,” he requested after a moment, a sparkle in his bulging eyes.  Nodding, I held out my hand, wrapping my fingers around the weathered hilt that was placed in my palm. Balancing myself, I took a few swings; showing off my rather clumsy technique.

“That’s fine.  Come inside, all of you.  I’ll tell you what we need to do next once we’re all settled,” Totosai commanded, turning around to shuffle his way back to his home.

The small group fell in step behind him, me trailing behind everyone else.  All my anxiety had left for a rather self depreciating feeling. A large part of me wondered why I had been so scared to begin with.  Shippo, who had hopped up on my shoulder after the demonstration, decided to add a bit of salt to my wounds. “See? That wasn’t so bad,” chirped his scratchy voice while a tiny hand patted the top of my head.  Gritting my teeth, I fought against a sudden urge to fling the youkai child into the distance.

“Thanks,” growled out of me, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Though, something bothers me,” he continued, acting like he was oblivious to my ire.

“What’s that?” I hissed, not even bothering to keep my irritation out of my tone.

“When you referred to Inuyasha as our alpha...  Not just anyone would know about that. In fact, only people that know about youkai should even be aware that’s what the dynamic of the group is,” came a declaration that almost stopped me in my tracks.  If it weren’t for the threat of instant incineration, I would have frozen in place.

Looking up at my tiny passenger with wide eyes, I saw a disconcertingly sly expression on his young face.  With a wink, he tapped his nose while smirking down at me. “Also, while you smell like you came from the same time as Kagome, you smell a lot different than her,” he pointed out quietly as I forced myself to keep walking toward the open maw of the skull.

“I bet the others have a few questions as well after the display you put on for Totosai,” whispered his falsely sympathetic voice as I stepped over the shorter fangs that were near the front of the jaw.

“Don’t worry though, I’m willing to help cover for you.  Provided you come clean what your deal is with me later on tonight,” rasped an ultimatum before he was hopping off my shoulder to join the others.

I could only watch, not feeling all that surprised.  After all, he was a kitsune. Add that to the fact he had already hinted that he knew something was strange and it would have been a matter of time before he’d made this ultimatum.  Yet, this didn’t leave me feeling any less rattled. Sitting on a ratty blanket that had been laid out, I forced myself to focus on the elderly youkai that was sitting at the head of our group.  After all, I had more things to worry about in the present. “Now that we have everything settled, what will we be using to make this weapon?” came a question that only proved me right.

Despite the encounters we’d had on the way, I had found nothing that would make suitable material.  Opening my mouth to tell him this, I was interrupted by a certain hanyou. “I’ll give ya one of my fangs old man.  Nothing else would do for a member of my pack,” he offered, taking all of us completely by surprise. Everyone stared up at him like he had grown two heads, Kagome and I far more flabbergasted than the rest.  Then, with a sniffle, the teen was throwing her arms around her crush; thanking him over and over for his selfless sacrifice. After all, the giving of a fang was never done frivolously.

“Inuyasha...,” I managed, losing myself to the moment and forgetting the fact I was supposed to have no idea what the significance of the gesture was.  It was only when I felt eyes on me that I noticed I was now the center of attention.

There were expressions of curiosity  as well as slight suspicion on the individuals before me.  Almost instantly, I felt the urge to curl up in the tiniest ball possible.  An urge I had to fight for the sake of staving off suspicion. Feigning some confusion myself, I tilted my head to one side while widening my eyes.  “What?” whispered out of me, making the others go from on the defensive to seeming slightly guilty. The only exception was Inuyasha. The half dog youkai had his ears lowered slightly, golden eyes narrowed while they locked on me.  It was almost like he thought I was a copy of Naraku’s, an assumption I couldn’t really blame him for.

Thankfully, Totosai took it upon himself to break the almost oppressive silence.  “Very well then. Inuyasha, get over here and sit down,” he ordered, bringing us back to the matter at hand.  Giving me one last, suspicious glance, the half-breed went over to the man that had made not only  _ his _ weapon but that of his half brother as well.  Despite his silent doubts, he opened his mouth compliantly; swearing loudly when the smith yanked out one of his upper fangs.

“Yes, this should do nicely.  Come back in three days and I’ll have ‘er all fixed up fer ya,” came a dismissal that had me feeling uneasy all over again.

Once we left the skeleton turned cave, the group would no doubt have questions for me.  Questions I wasn’t sure I could answer without fucking things up for everyone involved. It was bad enough I was interfering with their timeline as much as I was.  If I told them where and when I had come from, they would likely want me to give them information about the future. Yet, I had no choice. I couldn’t lie to them if they confronted me.  If I tried that, it would only engender more mistrust. So, reluctantly, I followed behind them when they began to exit Totosai’s home.

Climbing onto Shippo, I fought to keep my breathing even as we rose into the sky.  Only this time, my anxiety was not due to heights. I could feel Sango and Miroku’s eyes on me and could only imagine what Inuyasha and Kagome were thinking.  “What do I do now?” I wondered out loud, not really expecting an answer.

“Just follow my lead.  You’ll be okay,” assured a scratchy voice that made me jump.  After a few seconds, I realized it had been Shippo.

Looking down at the pink balloon I was was riding on, I felt gratitude and hesitation well up inside me at the same time.  “What’s the catch?” I whispered, dreading the response. When I only got a chuckle, I felt the fine hairs on the back of my neck rise.  Shaking my head, I let out a sigh.

“Thanks but... wouldn’t it be better if I just told them the truth?  While its a bit of a risk, it might help them trust me more. Whereas if I keep it a secret...,” I murmured, letting the end of the sentence hang.

“That’s true but, are you sure they’re ready?  That  _ you’re _ ready?” the young fox under me pointed out, making me question if I was doing the right thing after all.

Confused and unsure, I felt a chill settle over my skin as I watched the trees below gradually get closer.  Soon I wouldn’t have much choice. I had to make up my mind quickly. But which was the correct answer? Which answer would make the least amount of impact on the people I now called my friends?  I really had no idea and, to make things worse, Shippo was offering me a very easy way out. Placing my face in my hands, I simply sighed and cursed the Gods above while we continued to descend. “So, what are ya gonna do?” whispered a very unwelcome question that only heightened my anxiety.

“I have to tell them the truth.  To keep trying to lie or hide it... it feels wrong!  Especially when they have to trust me while I’m in the group.  Their lives are likely going to depend on me at some point, after all,” sighed out of me while my shaking hands lowered to clasp into tight fists on my thighs.

The transformed kit below me stayed silent, the ground getting closer every second.  All too soon, we were close enough for me to slide off. Yet, for the first time, I found myself reluctant to do so.  It felt much safer on top of Shippo’s balloon-like body for the time being. Unfortunately, it really wasn’t a feasible option.  Not only could the kitsune hold his new form for a certain amount of time but it was downright disrespectful to the others in the group to talk to them from such a great height.  Reluctantly, I slid off the squishy, pink balloon; not even blinking when it shifted immediately back into the fox kit.

Soon, Kirara was landing next to us while Inuyasha skidded into the clearing with Kagome clinging to his back.  All of them were staring at me with a mixture of curiosity as well as suspicion, filling me with the extreme urge to just run into the forest and never look back.  Instead, I stood my ground; determined to face whatever they could throw at me. “How did you know about pack dynamics?” Sango whispered before a certain hanyou could.  Flinching slightly, I met her dark eyes carefully while taking in a breath to steel my nerves.

“While I come from the future like Kagome, its a different future than hers,” I began, pausing to allow this information to sink in.  Just like I feared, their confusion only deepened. All, except Kagome.

Quirking a brow, she only looked more curious.  “Like an alternate timeline? Or further in the future?” she questioned, her chocolate eyes gleaming with barely contained excitement.  Apparently, the girl had been learning a few things about Particle Physics in her free time. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked such pointed questions.

“More like another reality entirely.  One where... where all of this is nothing but an anime on TV,” I hesitantly answered, bracing myself for the storm.  Once again, the only person that really reacted like they knew what I was talking about was the sixteen year old miko from the future.

In fact, her jaw was now dropped and all the color had drained from her face.  She only regained her composure when she noticed the blank looks the others were giving us.  Realizing she would have to explain to them, she pulled them aside while I was left alone. Taking a moment to sit with my back against a near-by tree, I watched as confusion faded for more questions as well as doubts about what I’d told them.  Rubbing my temples, I silently prayed they would at least see that the story was so outlandish that I would have no benefit to make something like that up.

Staring up at the sky through the crowded leaves above me, I became aware of the fact I was no longer alone.  Moving my head slightly, I met the highly confused, golden eyes of the hanyou I had admired throughout my teenage years.  “I don’t understand any of this, even after Kagome explained it but... so far you’ve seemed like you’ve wanted nothing more than to help.  In fact, you’ve gone out of your way to learn how to fight as well as use your powers to our advantage. I just don’t think you have any ill will toward us,” came an announcement that seemed to make reality grind to a halt.

For a few moments, I thought for sure I hadn’t heard him right, that he had kicked me out of the pack.  Then his words really sunk in and tears began to well in my eyes. Seemingly horrified by my show of emotion, the squeamish half-breed jolted backward before reaching for Kagome and using the poor girl as a shield.  Chuckling while wiping my streaming eyes, I simply shook my head and rolled my eyes. “Thanks Inuyasha. It really means a lot to me that you guys already trust me so much. I’ll do my best not to let you down,” I assured before pulling the flailing male into a tight hug.


	9. Practice Makes Perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Jade gets to practice her healing powers which are sorely lacking. Of course, once she gets her sword, the group decides to set off again.

The next three days consisted of very strange training.  Without asking me, the group took it upon themselves to help me strengthen my healing powers.  One by one, they came up to me at odd hours of the day with superficial wounds. While I can’t say I really approved of their methods, I couldn’t argue the results.  In the first day alone, I had already seen an improvement. I had gone from being winded due to healing one wound to being able to heal several without breaking a sweat.  Though, I made it known I certainly did not want them to got to greater lengths harming themselves.

Because of this, Inuyasha had begun seeking out enraged youkai to fight for the purpose of incurring injuries.  When I tried to protest, he simply gave me a glare. “Having someone around that would be able to take care of sounds without the use of salves would be a godsend!  Besides, all of us know what we’re doing as well as what the limits of our bodies are. We won’t willingly put ourselves in life threatening danger,” he assured, not exactly helping me feel much better about what was happening.

Still, as I watched them only get hurt as much as they thought necessary, I reluctantly began to agree that they knew what they were doing.  Besides, I fully trusted them to stop once things got a bit too dangerous. So, I simply healed the deep cuts and bruises without a complaint.  Especially since this also helped me strengthen my skill. If I kept at it, I might even be able to heal broken bones or even more egregious injuries.  Though, I would force my friends to stop far before it got to  _ that _ point.  I would just have to get the rest of my experience by helping villages.

With it being the feudal era, there would be no shortage of injured soldiers that needed help.  Not to mention all the illnesses that were prevalent around this time period. I would gain invaluable experience and help people at the same time.  Yet, some part of me felt wrong about profiting off of other people’s misery. Unfortunately, I simply had to practice somehow. After all, I would have no clue of just how strong my secondary abilities could be if I didn’t try to exercise them.  I may even be able to heal something as severe as Sesshomaru shoving his entire arm through the torso of his half brother. Feeling ill at the image the thought provided me with, shoved such gruesome thoughts to the back of my head as I looked up at the group that were very quickly becoming my family.

Just moments before, they had been covered in varying injuries.  Now, you couldn’t tell at all. It was a testament to how skilled I had become in a short amount of time.  Just a couple days before, there would have still been at least a few marks left over or signs that they had been there.  It was almost frightening how much power I could possibly have at my fingertips. It was almost like having some of the power of a God.  Tightening my hands into fists, I made a silent vow to never misuse this gift. I would help those in need with no cost to the victims. In fact, most of the people I helped wouldn’t even know my name.

Getting to my feet, I stretched my back and groaned when I felt my spine crack.  It was almost time to pick up my weapon. A katana made from one of Inuyasha’s own fangs.  As nervous as I was, I felt a small bit of excitement blooming inside the pit of my stomach.  Despite how hard it would be to get used to the new blade, it would be a life-long partner. Something to depend on to get me through all the hard times that lie ahead.  We would learn together, as odd as that sounds. “I think the old man should have your weapon ready by now,” came an announcement from across the clearing, bringing my attention to a certain half demon.

Almost immediately, Kagome was on her feet; smacking him lightly upside his head.  Letting out a yelp that was more from surprise than any injury, Inuyasha turned his head to give the teen to his right an admonishing glower.  “Don’t insult him this time or he might make us pay for his work. Need I remind you we can’t necessarily pay the prices of a legendary swordsmith?” she pointed out, raising a challenging brow while both hands came to rest on the swell of her hips.

Opening his mouth to protest, the hanyou simply let out a dismissive noise before turning his back on his companion.  Watching the scene with a fair bit of amusement, I simply rolled my eyes and clambered onto the back of a transformed Shippo.  Miroku and Sango followed suit, mounting Kirara as quickly as they could. Rising into the sky, I waved at the pair below us. “When you guys are done, meet us at Totosai’s,” I called down before me and the other two were heading off to the lava field.

Swearing came from the ground while the pair rushed to catch up, barriers falling over us just before we crossed over into the the lava fields.  Looking over to Sango and Miroku, I shared a smile with the pair before returning my focus to the front. While the sight of the ground so far below still caused my stomach to do cartwheels, I knew I was more than safe in Shippo’s hands.  “You know, I haven’t had time to say it but... I’m proud that you told the others the truth,” the young kitsune informed, taking me completely off guard.

“Weren’t  _ you _ the one that wanted to help me come up with a ruse so I could fool them,” I questioned incredulously, feeling the tiniest bit of rage well up inside me.  For a few moments, he fell silent, seeming uncomfortable with the line of questioning.

Glaring down at him, I simply waited while his pink, balloon body twitched underneath me.  “I... uh... I was planning on telling them once you weren’t paying attention,” came a confession that made my blood boil.  Yet, on some level, I could understand his reasoning. He had known these people for far longer and had much more of a right to consider them family than I did.  Of course he would want to protect them from something he perceived as possible danger. Sighing, I felt my initial anger fade as I petted his squishy body.

“At least now you know I mean no harm,” I sighed, leaning back and closing my eyes as we began to descend.

“For the time being at least.  Things can change once the pressure’s really on and Naraku has pulled nastier tricks on us before,” he responded, pausing close to the ground to allow me to hop off.

I had no response or argument to what he had said.  I had seen for myself just how devious the spider hanyou was.  With all these people had been through during the long years of hunting the beast, it was understandable there would be more than a little suspicion.  Thankfully, Totosai chose that exact moment to come out of his gruesome home, distracting me from my inner musings. From the grin on his wizened face, it was obvious that the weapon forging had gone well.  Moving my gaze to his outstretched hands, I took in the polished sheath with a sense of awe. It was a deep ebony color, polished to the point it could easily act as a mirror. The hilt poking out was even better, wrapped in what looked to be jade dyed silk, the metal parts a shiny brass.

Closing the distance rapidly, I allowed my eyes to rove over the masterpiece.  I hadn’t even uncovered the blade and I was already thoroughly impressed. To the point where I was almost afraid to touch it.  Going to one knee in front of the swordsmith, I bowed my head and held up my hands with the palms out. “I can’t thank you enough for going through all this trouble.  What is the name you have given this fine blade?” whispered out of me, while the others landed behind me.

“It is called Enjō-sha.  Take good care of it,” the elderly demon responded before placing it in my waiting hands.

The moment the smooth wood of the hilt met my skin, I felt a pulse go through both me and the weapon.  Sucking in a breath, I got to my feet; drawing the katana while a familiar warmth began to fill my body.  Without me even focusing on it, fire surrounded the blade as a female voice filled my head.  _ ‘So, you are my new mistress?  You will have to be tested to see if you are truly worthy,’ _ came a declaration before my flames pulsed into an erratic peak.  Widening my eyes, I grit my teeth as I forced myself to regain control over my own powers.  A task that was not made easy by my new katana.

Sensing my struggle, Inuyasha instinctually took a step forward before stopping himself.  Laying his ears against his skull, he stopped the others of his pack with an outstretched arm.  “If we interfere, the blade will never trust her. This is  _ her _ battle to fight,” the hanyou declared, not looking too pleased with the situation himself.  Glancing at her crush, Kagome furrowed her brow before returning her focus to me. A large part of her wanted to help her new found friend but her more rational side agreed with Inuyasha.  As painful as it was, all they could really do was watch.

Oblivious to the inner conflict of my cherished companions, I was using all of my focus to regain control.  Unfortunately, my new weapon was struggling against me. Gritting my teeth while sweat popped up on my brow, I tightened my grip on the hilt; vaguely aware of my long hair beginning to float up into the air.  After what seemed like an eternity, the flames around the masterfully crafted blade began to die down. Slowly, ever so slowly, my own powers began to ebb back into my body; burning my hands on the way. Wincing slightly, I ignored the pain; holding on even when the fire around the katana had disappeared completely.

Letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, I slid Enjō-sha back into its hilt.  Just before my hand left the hilt, I felt an outpouring of approval that was of little comfort.  Especially since both my hands felt like they had been dipped in lava. Look down at both my palms, I let out a hiss through my teeth when I saw angry, red blisters.  Despite being exhausted from the effort of drawing my flame powers back into myself, I began to draw out my healing powers. After a few moments, a soft, green glow surrounded both my hands, the pain in both appendages gradually disappearing.  By the time the agony was completely gone, my eyes were rolling up in the back of my head and I was passing out.

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A Few Hours Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

Nuzzling into the soft warmth around me, I did my best to ignore the throbbing pain in my head so I could continue to sleep.  “Just a few more minutes,” mumbled out of me while I rolled over to face away from a source of light that was beating at my closed eyelids.

“Well, at least we know she’s alive,” pointed out a familiar, gruff baritone that had my eyes open in an instant.  When I saw a tree inches from my face, all my illusions about my current situation being a dream drifted away like the smoke from the campfire.

Groaning, I reluctantly sat up; holding my pounding head in both hands.  Right now, it felt like there was a band of sadistic miners trying to blow it apart from the inside.  Even the slightest movement was enough to bring a wave of unimaginable agony. Hissing through clenched teeth, I closed my eyes again to prevent the light from the fire from making it worse.  “What happened?” husked a voice that didn’t remotely sound like it had come from me, making me jump slightly.

“We don’t really know.  My best guess is that you used too much healing energy when you took care of the burns on your hands,” Kagome responded, keeping her voice low out of consideration.

Crinkling my brow, I dug around in my mind for what she was talking about when the memories all came flooding back at once.  I had been burned pretty badly. So badly that I likely wouldn’t have been able to use my hands normally if I had just gone to a healer.  “Guess that means I have to train more,” sighed out of me while my head continued to try to fly apart. I was so wrapped up in my misery that I didn’t notice the young priestess wander over to her giant, yellow backpack.  It was only when I felt something nudging my knee that I lifted my head, cracking open one eye by the barest margin.

There in front of me, as if brought by the kami themselves, was a bottle of Ibuprofen.  Taking the blessed container into my right hand, I mouthed a thank you while fumbling with the top.  After a few tries, I managed to open the stubborn thing; pouring out two circular, brown colored pills into my palm.  Popping them in my mouth, I noticed Kagome was also offering a canteen. Smiling, I took a small swig of the cool liquid inside.  In a few short moments, the pain would be alleviated and I couldn’t begin to express my gratitude. “We gotta wake up early and hunt down more shards.  Have ta get ‘em before Naraku does,” interjected a certain, surly hanyou, effectively popping the atmosphere like a soap bubble.

Grimacing, I looked toward Inuyasha with apprehension.  As far as I could tell, we were still heading toward the west.  It would only be a matter of time before we ran into his half brother.  As handsome as the youkai was, he was extremely dangerous. Not to mention the fact he hated his younger half brother as well as humans.  Undoubtedly, the first encounter would be be a doozy. Shuddering at the thought, I scooted closer to the fire and, subsequently, the group.  Staring into the dancing flames, I reached out to scratch Kirara between her ears when she curled up in my lap.

If things were bad enough, it was likely I would have to join the battle.  While I would do anything to protect the pack, I was honestly scared by the prospect.  Someone like me was nothing more than an insect to the mighty daiyoukai. There was a very good chance I could be killed.  Gathering what courage I had within myself, I resolved not to let fear rule me. These people were practically my new family.  I couldn’t allow anything to happen to them. Pursing my lips, I moved my eyes to the katana resting on the sleeping bag Kagome had lent me.  If I wanted to be of any help, I would have to step up my training efforts. Not just fighting but also healing, in case one of the pack got injured.  Tomorrow, I would have to keep an eye out for villages as well as wandering warriors and salesmen.

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Next Day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

On my insistence, we were walking instead of flying; something both Kirara and Shippo seemed thankful for.  Inuyasha, on the other hand, was surely and irritable. Ears flicking, he kept glaring back at me while muttering obscenities to himself.  Something I couldn’t really blame him for. Like the others, he was anxious to get the rest of the shards before Naraku did. Flinching slightly, I lowered my gaze to the ground while guilt nibbled at my heart.  If it wasn’t for me, they would be in the air and likely very close to the next shard. I was so deep in my own misery that I practically jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand settle on my right shoulder.

 Turning my head, I saw Kagome giving me a sympathetic smile.  “Don’t take it too hard. ‘Yasha may be acting like a jerk but, deep down, he knows that you need the training.  Its just that we’re all really on edge. Naraku has most of the shards and we need to do what we can to prevent him from completing the jewel,” whispered an explanation while the teen gave me a one armed hug.

“Besides, I already sense a cluster of shards near-by so walking isn’t really setting us that far back.  We might even come across someone that needs help in the process so don’t beat yourself up  _ too _ much,” she continued while Shippo hopped up on my left shoulder to wrap his small arms around my neck.

Nodding, I raised my head to peek at the hanyou leading the group.  As much as I wanted to agree with what she said, Inuyasha’s opinion weighed much more heavily.  Likely due to the crush I still harbored for him from my teenage days. Yet, despite my feelings, I had given up on him the moment I found out this place was real.  That these people were real. I had no right to fight Kagome for his affections. Not when she had spent years by his side, sticking with him through good times and bad.  Not to mention, from what I saw in their eyes, it was no longer a one-sided romance on her part. In his own, gruff way; the half-breed genuinely cared for the young miko.

Looking around the group, I couldn’t help but notice almost all of them were in pairs.  The only exceptions were me, Shippo and Kirara. Rubbing my upper right arm, I found my thoughts wandering to fears I had tried my best to bury since realizing it was unlikely I would ever return home.  After Naraku was gotten rid of, it was very likely I would be alone for the rest of my days. Just the thought of it filled me with fear as well as anguish. Letting out a forlorn sigh, I shook my head to bring myself back to the matters at hand.  It could be a while yet before that happened and I couldn’t allow myself to become distracted.

Thankfully, it wasn’t too long before we reached a village that needed help with demons.  Helping the injured while the others fought helped to take my mind off things that really didn’t matter.  The people that lived in this time were having a much harder time than I ever would. While I was in this time, I might as well do what I could to lend a hand.  Placing my hands over a fairly severe burn, I concentrated my healing powers into my hands. After a few moments, the wound had disappeared; not even leaving a scar.  Silently accepting the humble thanks, I motioned for the next in line to come forward.

By the time I was done, I had reached my limit.  My head was fuzzy and there was a disconcerting ringing in my ears while my vision became blurry.  Getting unsteadily to my feet, I gave a tired wave to my friends as they came back with a triumphant air around them.  Walking towards them slowly, I was a bit worried to notice my sight was graying around the edges. Feeling a familiar tingling fill me, I fought to hang onto consciousness until I had reached the group.  I hadn’t gotten too far before Inuyasha and Kagome noticed there was something seriously wrong. Rushing toward me, the pair stood on either side to support me while I swayed.

Frowning slightly, the hanyou to my right motioned to Miroku.  As soon as the monk was close enough, he whispered in the man’s ear; sending him off into the village at a fast clip.  “Ya used to much of your power,” hissed a reprimand while Sango, Shippo and Kirara quickly closed the distance.

“We gotta get her inside and comfortable!  She won’t be safe on the road in this condition,” barked a gruff order while my vision continued to gray and blur.

Barely aware of anything, I stumbled while they led me to the closest porch and forced me to sit down.  As soon as my butt met the rough wood, Miroku was back with a smile on his face. “With how much Jade has helped, the village mayor is more than happy to have us at his house for as long as we need,” he announced while Sango looked up at him with appreciation.  Not even able to muster a thank you, I allowed Inuyasha and Kagome to lift me to my feet; leaning into the hanyou as we made our way to the grand mansion in the center of the village.


End file.
